What it Takes to Become a Scarer
by TheLittlestFictionWriter
Summary: This multiple chapter story tells my interpretation of the events that took place during Monster's University, and how these events modeled the reptilian monster into the villain we know in Monster's Inc. This story is much darker than the Disney films with more violence and language.
1. Prologue

**My theory of young Randall is different from others. He may start out as an awkward, dorky sweetheart, but as the story goes on certain events will take place that will change him into someone dangerous. It's a tragic story, and does contain violence in later chapters. Thank you for taking a look and I hope you enjoy yourself.**

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Randall had never been among the popular crowd during his years in school. Sure, his unique ability to blend into his surroundings was interesting to some, but it was soon forgotten whenever the skiddish monster became frightened, blending into the nearest disguise source with only his glasses visible to his peers. He would then be mocked, either for the pattern on his skin, or the fact that his location was obvious. His bright purple frames always gave him away - every time. Because of his status as the monster who can't even use his own ability to his advantage, Randall received a nickname among his peers: Randall "botch-it" Boggs. That may not sound too bad, but his fellow classmates came up with ways to make it painful.

"Oh look, it's botch-it Boggs! Wonder how he's gonna botch-it up this time."  
"Look out! Here's comes the botcher."  
"Hey it's the botchinator! Come to watch a real scarer in action? You should. Maybe you'll learn something."

Aside from his nerves getting the better of him, Randall was also teased for other reasons. The Boggs family was, and still is, wealthy due to the father of the house and his job. He worked in Monstropolis in one of the biggest scare energy corporations, aside from Monsters Inc, making enough money for Randall to attend several high end schools. During his years in these said classrooms, his peers always managed to find ways to single him out. It could have been that he wasn't wearing any brand name clothing, or that his family made less money than everyone else in the school. Occasionally, he would try and buy something high end, but he could never justify the expense and would put the item back. Though they were well off in terms of wealth, they were not a greedy family. After his father passed away, due to an accident in one of the scaring factories, Randall's outgoing attitude crumbled even more so.

Not to mention the physical abuse he would endure, which only added to his negative outlook. He would often be surrounded at his locker, his classmates sending small punches to his shoulders and arms while passerby mocked him. Another scenario would involve him being chased into a bathroom, his bullies pounding against the door until it broke apart. After that, they would either shove his head into the bowl, or smack him around a bit. No one would help him, and no one would listen. Because of this, Randall became rather sensitive, his confidence level reaching an all time low. He became quiet, keeping his books close to his chest, and his mouth tightly shut. He would go so long without speaking that his voice would he hoarse whenever he did mutter a response.

How had this happened to him, he often wondered. As a child, he was great at making friends, with never a worry or care about what anyone thought. Somehow that all changed when he reached the end of elementary school. It only got worse from there, with high school being the top contender. For some reason, every monster in every school he attended felt the need to prove themselves, joining whatever scenario fit them best. Some monsters would even become someone else entirely, just to blend in with the crowd. Why hadn't he chosen to do that, was another question always on his mind. It seemed to be the easy way out. Especially after his first true friend abandoned him to become the most sought after jock on campus. He hoped that his next attempt in academics would have a more accepting occupancy.

Despite his lack of recognition amongst his peers, Randall excelled in his academics. This didn't help his status much. In fact, it made it worse, but he knew he needed excellent grades in order to get into the top monster college in all of Monstropolis: Monster's University. Ever since Randall was hatched it has been his dream to become a scarer at Monster's Incorporated. He knew every top scarer that ever worked within those walls, collecting all of the cards and paraphernalia that followed in their success. He too hoped to be on the front of a scarer card, the all time scare record happily tucked under his belt. Whenever he could manage, Randall would practice, honing his skills and abilities to their utmost potential. He tried different faces and expressions in his mirror at home, in order to appear more frightening to the children he hoped to scare. He deemed himself ready for the challenge, but only auditioning would make him certain of his potential.

The look on his face when he opened his acceptance letter was that of pure, unrelenting joy. He hadn't expected his first try to be the only try he'd need to get into that school. He should have given himself more credit, his mother told him, kissing him roughly on the forehead. Randall closed his eyes from the force of her gesture, but he couldn't stop the smile making it's way onto his face. "I'm so proud of you." she said, placing a gentle hand against his back. A small chuckle echoed within his throat. "Thanks mom." he said, his eyes glued to the paper in front of him. He read it over and over, several times, just to make certain that he'd read it correctly. He was so afraid that he was just dreaming. To his absolute joy, he realized that he wasn't.

A strange tickling sensation flailed about inside of his stomach; butterflies. With a loud exclamation, he dashed past his mother and into the house, heading straight for his room. The new semester wouldn't start until August, but he decided to begin planning what to pack anyway. Something to keep his joy from leaving him. He didn't want to loose this feeling while he counted down the rest of the days of summer. Still standing outside was his mother, quietly giggling to herself as she watched her sun fumble about from his bedroom window. After retrieving the rest of the mail, she too returned inside, leaving Randall alone in his room to continue his endeavor. For the first time, in a long time, Randall Boggs was smiling.

"Hopefully..." he wished quietly to himself. "... it will last."


	2. Chapter 1

It wasn't long before the new semester began at Monster's University, the summer having flown by faster than anticipated. Randall sat on board the city transport service, his vision flickering as he watched trees and homes pass by, his eyes darting to keep up. His mind wandered back to this morning, where he recalled himself, and his mother, panicking to finish packing his suitcases and back pack. Both of them had been so preoccupied with summer fun that they had misjudged the time left before the start of the new school year.

His mother was running around the house, mumbling to herself about how sad she was to see her baby boy go to college. While she did this, her son sat atop his suitcase, trying to push it closed with the weight of his body. The luggage he had was rather luxurious: Louis Vuitton. His mother had bought it for him as a gift for college, to match another gift that she had packed away in another suitcase. The luggage was one of the smaller, less expensive sets, so Randall wouldn't feel too bad about using them. She remembered how he had been teased in high school for not having any expensive clothes or accessories. While she was proud of him for not being giving in to his peers - for not being a greedy child, despite his good fortune - she thought it would be alright to spend alittle bit of money to help him make a good impression in college. Besides, it was his favorite color, as well as durable, and he seemed overjoyed to have recieved them.

It was filled to the brim with every thing he would need for his next four years of school. "Yes!" he exclaimed, the closures securing in place after a couple of small hops onto the case's frame. His vision blurring for a few moments just as he'd landed against his luggage the final time. "Ah!" he exclaimed. His glasses had had almost fallen off of his face from the force of his previous actions. "All done!" he called as he hoped off of his suitcase, fixing his glasses as he did so. With a loud groan, he pushed the luggage into the hall, the plastic surface exclaiming it's frustrations as it scraped across the wooden floor.

"Oh!" called his mother, dashing over to his side to help. The two of them struggled to bring the case out to the curb, but managed just in time for the bus to arrive. "Ah, please wait!" called his mother, waving to the driver as Randall dashed back into the house. The driver smiled, tipping his hat to her in assurance that there was no rush. Randall quickly made his way upstairs to grab his second suitcase and backpack, both of which were much lighter than his larger suitcase. He stopped before heading back outside, taking one last look at his room. The walls were bare, the bed was stripped, and everything important to him was safely tucked away in his bags. With a happy sigh, he pressed onward, greeting his mother with a smile as he set his luggage down beside her.

He could see it in her eyes, her lips twitching as her lids filled with tears. She was on the brim of breaking down. She wrapped her arm around him, her limbs shaking from the surges of emotion flowing through her. Randall smiled and returned the gesture, kissing her on the cheek. "Don't worry mom! I'll be fine." he reassured her, his arms returning to his sides. It took a moment for her to let go, but she did, knowing that her son needed to get on board the bus. Her hands were now clasped together in front of her, as if pleading with herself to remain calm. She didn't want to cry. In fact, she'd promised herself that she wouldn't. Even so, tears were running down her cheeks in thick streams.

Shocked, her son placed a hand against her shoulder. "Mom, are you alright?" he asked, a slight hint of worry in his tone. "I'm fine." she said, her voice shaking. "I'm just... I'm going to miss you." Randall chuckled before gifting her with another hug. "I'm gonna miss you too, mom." While her response was truthful, there was something else troubling her mind. She was concerned for her son's well being, seeing as he'd had some hard times growing up. If loosing his father hadn't been bad enough, the relentless attacks from his peers had certainly done a number on his mental stability. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her child. He'd been through enough. Despite her worries, she kept them to herself, not wanting to ruin her son's hopeful image of his new school.

A helpful monster on board the bus aided Randall with his luggage, the two of them getting the suitcases on board within minutes. Randall then grabbed his backpack, giving his mother one last, sharp toothed grin before climbing on board the bus. He took a window seat so that he could wave to her, which she gratefully enjoyed. The driver then closed the doors and the bus revved back to life, the vehicle slowly making its way down the road. Admittedly, Randall's heart began to ache as his mother faded from view. She had been there with him through everything, always comforting him and aiding him when he needed her most. Now, he was on his own, something he was only somewhat accustomed to.

He turned away from the window, taking in a deep breath to calm himself. He decided that he needed a distraction and began reciting his mental checklist, something he'd made in order to remember the things he needed to do today. "Aright, I've got to check in, get my dorm key, and unpack. After that I can explore the campus and get acquainted with all of my classes and their locations." he said to himself, counting his fingers as each item was spoken out loud. It wasn't long before he'd become bored, his glazed over as he lazily looked out the window. Despite the less than eventful trip, he soon made it to Monster's University. His eyes shone wide as he spotted the location of the School of Scaring, the building's structure covered in menacing spikes, and a large dome covered by the same threatening decorations rising high above the trees scattered across the grounds.

Once more, a smile played its way onto his face. He had to keep himself still, seeing as his body wished to wiggle about in pure joy, excitement brewing inside of him like a stick of dynamite ready to burst. When the bus stopped, he was the first to get off, though he struggled with his large suitcase momentarily, holding up the queuing line inside of the bus. No one minded. In fact, they found it amusing. With no one to help him the rest of the way, he knew it would be a long trek onto campus, but he was more than willing to deal with it. After all, this was his dream school. He was ready to endure anything.


	3. Chapter 2

The various students and faculty along the campus grounds watched as Randall struggled with his bags. Looks of confusion and concern decorated every new face that the reptilian monster set his eyes on. Rather than stop to talk, he just smiled, his usual attitude of 'stay quiet, stay unnoticed' ringing through his mind. A few of his future classmates offered to help him, but he kindly assured them that he was fine on his own. Looks of doubt followed after this statement, but they left him to his task. Other classmates looked in awe - envy - after realizing just how well off this freshman student was, dragging his designer suitcases across the cobbled drive way. "He'll get into a fraternity easily." one monster muttered. Though this statement amused the reptilian monster, as he highly doubted that scenario would come to fruition. Years of abuse rendered his confidence almost non existent.

As expected, it took him most of the morning to travel across the grounds to the information stall located near the campus center. He asked a few questions and was promptly directed towards the Registration Hall, where he signed in and had his photo taken. He grumbled to himself when he received his card, noticing that he'd forgotten to remove his glasses. The flash had caused a bit of glare to shine off of his lenses. "No one will see it anyway." he reassured himself, tucking it away in his backpack.

After receiving his card, he made his way through the grounds to his assigned dorm room where he was given a key. "Number 319." he said to himself. Keeping a tight grip on his key, Randall made his way down the hall, the corridor slowly filling with other students. He was relieved to discover that he was not the only one struggling with heavy luggage. A rather large fellow had a suitcase larger than Randall himself, and it took some careful planning for the said student to get his luggage inside of his room safely. After a few trips back into the main entryway, Randall had managed to get all of his things into his room. With a triumphant sigh, he took a seat on the bed to the right (from the door entrance) and fell back against the mattress with a low huff.

His aching muscles happily relaxed as he took a brief rest. "Now that the hard part is over... time to unpack." he muttered in a quiet hush. Begrudgingly, he sat back up and wandered over to his largest suit case - the one that he had struggled with the most. Wearily, he reached down to the clasp, afraid that the entire thing would explode upon opening. Keeping one eye open, the other squinted shut to reflect his concerns, he flicked the mechanism and flinched. The top flew open, but nothing flew out. His sudden action had caused his unique ability to show itself, his body blending in with the floor and wall surrounding him. With a sigh of relief, his normal look returned, melting away like rain trickling down a window.

Throughout most of lunch, Randall decorated his half of the dorm room. It began to feel a lot more like home the further he went along with his task. Once his largest suitcase was emptied, he moved on to the smaller, much more light case, which contained his surprise present: a dark purple Louis Vuitton bed set. A wide grin played onto his face as he unpacked the set, placing the plastic cases neatly on the floor. It even came with decorational pillows. "Thanks mom." he mumbled.

Moving along with his task, he made his bed, setting it up nice and neat - like a picture in a magazine. Being that his favorite color was purple, most of his decorations were various shades of that color. He had a square, periwinkle rug for the end of his bed, as well as various knickknacks, such had a pair of purple slippers, with an extra pair packed for his additional set of feet. As for posters, he only brought one: a simple picture of a tree blowing in the wind with the caption "The Winds of Change" in bold text beneath it. Randall cherished this poster because it always reminded him that things will get better - that change is on its way. This was certainly proven true when he received his acceptance letter to Monster's University.

"There." he said triumphantly as he looked proudly at his work. Everything he'd done was simple, normal - even tasteful - so that he wouldn't stand out too much should anyone visit for a party, or other event he hoped to host. In fact, he may even get compliments. He gathered his designer suitcases and neatly stacked them near his closet. Looking around the room, he realized that he only had one last thing to unpack: his school supplies, which were tucked away into a box in the middle of the room. As he went over to it, a strange sound came from the doorway. It was as if someone was unlocking the door. "My roommate?" he asked himself. Immediately, his body began to shake, his nerves getting the better of him. Another unique aspect of Randall's personality was that he was very shy and awkward, which is to be expected from a monster with a life similar to his own. "What if they don't like me?" he said, panicked. "What if they're a scaring major too...?" His head began to ache as various worries and scenarios flowed through his mind.

His thoughts were soon interrupted when the sound of the door unlocking echoed throughout the room, stunning the reptile into silence. And then, as if in slow motion, the door creaked open.


	4. Chapter 3

**Finally! Randall gets to meet Mikey. Chapters will be longer from here on out.**

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As the door slowly creaked open, Randall's mind raced with many different ideas as to what his roommate could look like. One scenario was that he was a large monster, with horns and jagged teeth. Another was that he was small and slug-like with dozens of eyeballs. No matter how much he tried, every monster he came up with in his mind was more horrific than the last. "They're going to think I'm a terrible scarer..." he thought to himself, remembering how his class mates used to assume that his skill level was low, based on how he looked.

He decided to try and make a good first impression. He would stand tall and look at them as if they were one of his victims to scare. He nodded, reassuring himself that this was a good decision, despite his obvious doubt in his own skills with scaring. With a large intake of breath, Randall stood straight, his back aching as he did so. He was so used to standing hunched over that this movement put a strain on his muscles. As he stood, the sun beat warmly against his back, his frame blocking the beams of light from hitting the room floor. The extension of his body cast an eerie shadow against the ground, as well as silhouetting his frame. As the door opened, that shadow stretched into the hallway, making the reptile appear to be much bigger than he actually was. He didn't think this idea would work, but it seemed as if it were frightening enough to scare the monster waiting behind the door, for he jumped back, a small intake of breath reflecting his terror.

Squinting his eyes, Randall took a moment to examine this monster and was somewhat surprised by what he saw. His roommate was tiny, far smaller than Randall had anticipated. In fact, he was downright puny - almost adorable, in a sense. There was no way that he was part of the scare program. Relief struck the reptile, his body relaxing a bit from straining so hard to stand straight, his usual posture returning. He slithered his way to the door, no longer worried or concerned as to what his roommate thought of him.

The tiny, one-eyed creature found Randall's quick movements more terrifying than his looks, backing up against the wall the closer the reptilian monster came to him. Randall stopped just in front of the cyclops, who was startled by his sudden appearance, exclaiming this to the word with a small shriek. Randall hadn't heard this sound. He was far too absorbed into making a good impression, withholding his nerves long enough to introduce himself. "You must be my roommate." Randall began. "My name's Boggs. Randall Boggs - Scaring Major."

The tiny green creature stared him up and down for a moment, a look of wonderment across his face. "Mike Wazowski." he mumbled, his one eye shinning up at the tall reptile. He seemed as if he were about to speak a tad bit more - his mouth half open - when a loud crash startled the two of them. Enough so that Randall went invisible - this time completely. Mike jumped back from surprise, his books flying into the air. "Whoa!" he shouted. This caused several monsters in the hall to look in their direction. Randall, having realized what he'd done, reverted his skin back to it's normal color. Several of the onlookers gasped when the reptilian monster reappeared. "What? What..." he asked, embarrassed. Already his nerves had gotten the better of him.

Mike peered around Randall to see what the commotion had been. Apparently some students had tried to bring in too much luggage at once, resulting in a minor accident. With his eye still focused on the monsters fumbling with their luggage, Mike spoke, "I've never seen an ability like that." he mumbled, his vision returning to Randall. "Oh, uh... yeah." Randy replied. "Runs in my family." The reptile cursed at himself for being startled so easily, and for drawing attention to himself after only being on campus for a few hours. If there were any other monsters in the scare program watching, they were more than likely judging him at this very moment. "You should loose the glasses, though." said Mikey, smiling kindly. Randall looked at him with confusion. "Huh?"

"The glasses. They give you away." replied Mike, pointing at the purple rims surrounding the creatures eyes. Randall lifted his hands to take the glasses away from his face, his vision swirling into a blurred mass of colors and shapes. It was a nauseating experience. "There you go!" Mike shouted. With another smile, the tiny green monster wandered inside, exclaiming: "Oh, I love what you've done with the place." A worried groan echoed within Randall's throat, but he knew Wazowski's advice to be true. These frames always gave him away, ever since he'd been prescribed them as age seven. He'd never gone very long without wearing his glasses, and the lack of vision was making him uncomfortable, but if a monster as easily startled as Mike thought they needed to be removed to make the reptile more frightening, then they needed to be removed. Reluctantly, he left them off, his eyes squinting together in order to try and make out the various blurs and masses swirling in front of him. It helped, but not enough to see where the door to his dorm room was.

With his hands against the wall, Randall managed to fine his way back into the dorm room. Using his tail to reach behind him to the doorknob, the serpent wrapped the appendage tightly around the metal handle and pulled the door closed. As his tail unraveled itself from the doorknob, Randall let out a deep sigh, happy to be in a room with less commotion. He would need to order contacts soon, or else risk loosing his lunch due to queasiness. "I'm so excited to be starting the scare program!" Mikey exclaimed, half of his luggage already strewn about the room. Randall's eyes shot wide at the small creature's words. "You.. wait, what?!" Mikey looked at him without an ounce of doubt, a wide grin across his face, revealing his somewhat sharpened teeth. "You heard right!" Mikey replied. "I know I don't seem like the type of monster who can scare, but I promise to prove you wrong! I know everything it takes to be a top scarer."  
"Really?" Randall asked, genuinely curious. Mikey, who had climbed up onto his bed to hang a poster, promptly hopped down. "Young girl, age seven who is afraid of snakes... what do you do?" Randall shrugged, crossing his arms together in front of his chest. "I have no idea."

"Exactly!" Mike exclaimed, pointing a clawed finger at his purple roommate. "And I do! Ever since I was a child I've wanted to be a scarer. I've shocked my teachers all throughout elementary, middle, as well as high school! Sure, I had people who doubted me, but I never let their words get to me. I knew I could get into the scare program, and I did! My audition was flawless they said! Flawless!"

As Mikey went on about his grade 'A' academics, his words resonated within Randall. This puny little monster, against all odds, got into Monster's University, as well as it's scaring program, all on his own. He's much smaller than Randall, and not even a little bit frightening. He was teased and looked down on, and yet here he stood. "We're not that different." the reptile thought to himself. Wazowski had mentioned having been doubted, but how much so? Had he dealt with physical abuse, as Randy had?

"Were you ever beaten up?" Randall asked, having interrupted Mikey's speech. He looked and sounded genuinely curious, and the tiny green monster didn't seem to mind the interruption. "Loads!"

"And that doesn't bother you?"

Mikey laughed to himself, his one eyes glancing down to the floor before returning to his roommates gaze, even brighter than before. "No. Not at all."  
Randall's eyes traveled to the floor. "He's just like me..." he thought. "Only he's stronger than I am. This puny creature is stronger than me..." He was almost ashamed of himself for having let such things, like teasing and abuse, get to him. If Mikey could push through it, then so could he. No one had ever been this open with him, nor had they had so many things in common. The two of them had an obvious connection, which made the reptile hopeful. "I have a feeling..." he began, a smile of his own spreading onto his face. "... that you and I are going to be great friends."

Mikey was more than happy to hear that and promptly extended his hand for a shake. "Then let's start over. I'm Mike Wazowski." Randall chuckled and returned the gesture. "Randy Boggs." They shook once, each monster smiling back at one another, before letting go of the others hand. Mikey sighed triumphantly before returning to his task. "Hey, you need help?" Randall asked.

"Nah, I'm alright." Mikey replied. "Thanks though. Hey, when I'm done, you wanna come with me on the school tour?"

"Sure." Randy replied. "I needed to look around anyway."

Both monsters silently checked off a section of their mental checklists: meet my roommate. Both were relieved, seeing as that task had been much easier than anticipated. The two of them had no idea just how much they truly had in common. Not _yet_, at least.


	5. Chapter 4

"Why did I agree to do this?" Randall muttered, his free hand massaging his brow, while the other fell limp against his side, a brochure clenched in his fist. He was standing beside Mike Wazowski, the two of them taking part in the school tour. There were a handful of other freshmen with them, eyes focused to wherever their guide's hand pointed them. However, Randall, without his glasses, couldn't see and was thus unable to get a feel for the campus grounds. "You may have to lead me to some of my classes." he mumbled worriedly.

"Not problem, buddy!" Mike replied, his retainer shinning from just below his parted lips, drawn upwards into a large grin. "You and I have the same classes anyway! Well, most of them are the same."

Randall's head ached from the swirling vortex surrounding him. It was almost claustrophobic, with blurs constantly flashing past him. He assumed them to be students, but none ever came close enough for him to tell. "And over here is the Aquatic School!" the guide shouted, her hand gesturing over the bridge and into the river below. Sure enough, built right into the wall, was an academics school for aquatic monsters. "Wow!" Mike shouted, pulling out his camera to take a few photos. Some of the aquatic students posed, or waved their hands, ever amused by new students reactions to their unique classroom.

"Wish I could see it." Randall mumbled, his back firmly pressed against the bridge railing. He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a small sigh. "No worries, buddy!" Mike said, slamming a reassuring hand against his new friend's back. "Just order your contacts and you'll be fine. You're gonna be here for four years. You'll get to see everything!"

"Then what was the point of the tour? We could just look on our own."

"She relays important history information that I wanna know!"

"Couldn't you have just read about that in the library?" Randall asked.

Mikey stared at him as if he were the strangest being on the planet. "That's the weirdest thing you've said yet. There's a difference between text book information, and what a monster may have seen or heard themselves! Besides, a monster tells the story to you! That's much more entertaining." Mike said, trotting off to catch up with the group. Rolling his eyes, the reptilian monster followed suit, his arms falling limp at his sides.

The tour lasted for most of the afternoon, the sun getting ready to set behind the horizon. There was one last stop on the schedule, and that was the one building the two roommates had looked forward to all day long. "And, last but not least, the School of Scaring!" Some student's eyes widened, while others jaws dropped. Mike Wazowski did both, while Randall squinted, trying his best to see. He didn't need glasses to recognize the menacing shape he'd seen on board the public transport bus. He could make out the dome, as well as various blurs protruding from the sides. Those must be the spikes, he thought. A slow grin creeped onto his face as he thought about what his future classroom would look like.

Would it be as terrifying as the outside of the building? Or simple and to the point? He didn't know, but both himself, and Mike Wazowski, were thrilled to get started. "I cannot wait to get in there." they both said, almost in sync. "Pfft! You? You're not a scarer." muttered one of the other students. From where he stood Randall could make out his basic shape. He was medium sized tentacle covered creature, just a few inches shorter than Randall, with several horns across his head. His friends laughed at his comment, encouraging him to continue. "You're not even the least bit terrifying. How could you possibly scare anyone?" Randall had thought, for a moment, that the comment was in regards to himself, when, in fact, it was directed towards Mike Wazowski. The tiny monster stepped forward, very aware that this comment was directed at him - he was used to such confrontations. "I got into this school for scaring!" he replied in defense. "It's written on my Student ID card." Even the tour guide was smiling, trying to hold back her laughter by hiding her mouth with her hand.  
"Really? It's not forged?"

Mike seemed hurt. Not by the fact that he was being doubted, but by the assumption that he would cheat. "I got in here fair and square, just like you! I'll prove it to! You wait until class tomorrow. You'll see!"

"Haha, sure kid." the student replied, his eyes trailing to his friends, all of whom were laughing even louder than before. "Sure."

This entire event reminded Randall of his years in high school, and the bullies that he had dealt with. In fact, it reminded him too much of those traumatic experiences. The more the students teased his roommate, the angrier Randall got... until he decided to act. Using his skills, he disappeared into the background, blending in to his surrounding seamlessly. As the student turned to walk away, Randall waited until the monster's eyes met his own. Then, he reappeared, the student stumbling backwards with a scream. Even his friends appeared startled by Randall's demonstration. The bully's feet fumbled beneath him, twisting and turning every which way until he completely lost his balance, and fell onto the ground. Randall then stretched his body over him, pressing his face close to the bully's own. "Listen here, punk. My friend got into this school with hard work and effort, something I'm sure you didn't need." he said, eying the monster up and down with disgust. Seeing as he was closer to the student, he could make out certain aspects and details, such as his outfit. "You're wearing brand clothing, meaning you have money. You bought your way in, didn't you?"

The monster shook his head 'no', but Randall knew a liar when he saw one. Years of dealing with show offs and bigots granted him this talent. "That means... he's already beaten you. Now all he needs to do is prove himself... and he will."

"And what if he doesn't, huh? What are you gonna do, skinny reptile." replied the bully, sitting up for a moment, trying to seem as if he were comfortable - confident - against the ground. Randall then moved closer, sending him right back into the dirt.

"That's your best comeback?" Randall asked, a look of dumbfounded wonder decorating his face. "If he doesn't, then you're right. But, if he does, you'll give him the respect he deserves. Got it?"

With a low growl, the monster nodded and Randall moved away. Mike stared at his roommate in amazement, shocked that he had gone out of his way to do that for him. The bully then stood, dusting his clothes off while his friends assisted him. With one last glare at Randall, who happily returned the favor, the monster continued down the cobbled walkway, cursing at himself.

"Thanks, Randall." Mike said.

"Call me Randy." he replied, turning to face the tiny cyclops. "And it was no trouble."

"You... don't take this the wrong way." Mike began. "But, you don't seem like the type of monster who could stand up to someone like that. How did you do it?"  
"I've been through several incidents like that. Seeing him talk down to you only reminded me of my childhood. I guess that was all bottled up anger than I finally let loose."

"Well, I'm glad you did. Thanks again... for having my back."

"Sure thing, pal." Randall said, a kind smile stretching across his face. "So, the tour is over. You wanna head back to the dorm?"

"Ah, no. Not yet. I wanted to go and have a look at the Quad and see what clubs are available."

"Ah." Randall replied. "Well, uh... I'll see you there, then. I'm gonna go get my glasses. Just to keep with me in case of emergencies. Until I get contacts, I mean."

"Alright!" Mike said. "I'll meet you there!" He then darted down the walkway, heading for the center of the University. "Make it quick!" he shouted over his shoulder. Randall chuckled, still amused by Wazowski's naivety - so easily amused. He was about to start moving when realization kicked it. "I have no idea where I am." He quickly looked for a lime green blob running frantically, but no such visuals appeared. "And he's gone. How am I gonna get back?"

"We can help."

Randall cursed at himself when that voice resonated from behind him. The bully was back, as well as his posse. I should have just kept my mouth shut, he thought to himself. With a sigh, Randall turned, half expecting to be struck as he did so. "That was a brave thing you did." the bully began. "Not many monsters stand up to me."

"Really?" Randall began, genuinely surprised. "You're not that big. I think plenty could stand up to you."

The creature growled, his friends grabbing his arms to hold him back. Randall almost flinched, but managed to hold his ground. Something inside of him was enjoying this - talking back to a bully. He'd never been able to muster up the courage in his youth, and doing it now was pumping his body full of adrenaline. Why could he suddenly stand tall? He wasn't confident in himself, or his skills. Even he could admit that. Maybe he was just fed up? Or maybe it was because he'd mistreated his friend?

"I wanted to tell you to watch your back. You stand up to me like that again and you will be sorry." the monster growled, his skin turning a dark shade of red.  
"I'll keep that in mind." Randall replied, a sly smile adorning his face. "Now, uh... could you direct me towards the dorms?" Sarcasm echoed in his words, his eyes boring right into his enemy's own. The monster began to growl, infuriated by this freshman's lack of fear towards him. Once more, his friends grabbed his arms. One of the smaller ones left the ranks to help point Randall in the right direction, in order to avoid confrontation. After all, the campus was packed. They would surely be noticed. Several students, as well as faculty, were already staring curiously. "That way." the tiny creature said.

"Thanks." he replied, before turning away from the group. "See you in class." Once more, he made sure to speak with as much attitude as possible, enjoying the monster's irritated reactions echoing form behind him. He then picked up his pace, gliding across the grounds until he was out of range. "I hope I never see those guys again."he mumbled to himself, slowly making his way down the street towards the dorms. His body began to shake, the rush of adrenaline he'd had moments ago beginning to wear off. "Why did I do that?" he asked himself, staring down at his trembling limbs. He eventually made it back, heading into the dorm room with his hands outstretched, to prevent him from running into anything. When he found his desk, he fumbled about, trying to locate his glasses case.

He found it beside his laptop and quickly removed the eye-wear from its holder, placing the accessory against his nose. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as his vision returned - clear, crisp images and vibrant colors flooded into his vision. "I've never been more happy to wear these things." he said, almost laughing. "Now to get back to Mikey."

His pace was much calmer as he exited the dorms. The group of miscreants was long gone, and even if they were hiding nearby, there were far too many students around for them to do harm. So, he made his way to the Quad, where various clubs were recruiting new members. Stalls lined the walk ways, and various students were scattered around, trying to figure out which group suited them best. It took him a moment to spot Mike, but he eventually found him and made his way over. The stall he was gazing up at with amazement was the Scare Games booth. Some sort of competition to prove you're a top contender in terms of scaring abilities.

Being that Randall was unsure of himself, he knew he would not be trying out. "You gonna do it?" he asked Mike, arriving at his side. He knew how confident the tiny monster was in his abilities, but would he really try and compete in this ridiculous tournament?

"I want to." the tiny monster replied, taking a pamphlet from the students running the stall. "We'll see as time goes by." He then tucked the papers away into his backpack. So, you ready to head back?"

"Yeah." said Randall. Before he could even begin walking, his stomach gurgled, letting a large growl surge through his belly. "Let's grab some food first."  
"Ah, good idea!" replied Mike, touching his own stomach. "We haven't eaten today."

After stopping by a few more booths, the two of them made their way to the cafeteria. The room was practically empty, seeing as the lines were about to close for the evening. Quickly, the two of them scrambled down the line to grab some food, each choosing something simple. Once their food was purchased, the headed back to their dorm, deciding to eat behind closed doors. Neither of them had good experiences in cafeterias. Both found out about this from the other as they ate in their room, each monster sitting at their desk, right across from one another.

"You and I really do have a lot in common." Mike said, a wide grin on his face as he took another bite out of his half eaten sandwich.

"I told you." said Randall, already done with his plate of food. He was happily sipping away at his drink, his lower body curled up in his chair.

"Well, I'm glad you're my roommate. I was so afraid that I was gonna get some big jerk in here with me."

"Same here, though I admittedly had my doubts about you when I fist saw you." Randall said, looking guilty.

"We all judge each other right away. Don't worry about it." Mike replied. "If it's any consolation, I thought you were terrifying!"

"Really?" Randall asked, a genuine look of shock written all over his face.

"Yeah! That ability of yours is fantastic!"

"Not according to my classmates." Randall grumbled.

"Ah, what do they know?" Mike shouted, waving his hands in the air. "You've definitely got it, man. You're gonna do great tomorrow."

"I hope you're right." Randall replied, sounding very unsure of himself, and Mike's words.

"I know I am." replied Mike, giving his friend a reassuring nod.

As Mike crumbled his sandwich wrapper together in his hands, Randall hopped out of his chair and made his way over to his bed. "Well, we better get some sleep. Class starts at ten." he said, putting his decorational pillows on the floor. Mike hopped down from his desk, throwing away his trash in the small bin beside his window. "Good point!" he said, waddling over to his bed. The two of them climbed under the sheets simultaneously, each one turning off their light in time with the other.

"Night, Randy!" shouted Mike.

"Good night, Wazowski."

"Hey." Mike began. "Call me Mikey."

Randall chuckled before muttering a response. "Good night, Mikey."

The small cyclops was able to fall asleep right away, while the reptilian monster lay wide awake, his mind filled with worry. Scenarios flashed through his mind, over and over, about what events may unfold come tomorrow morning, which only made his worries worse. If I screw up, that's it, he thought. No one will take me seriously. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept him awake. Eventually, his body, tired from fretting, managed wear out enough for him to fall asleep for the last five hours of the night. As his senses went numb, his body drifting into slumber, Randall hoped his lack of sleep wouldn't have a negative effect on him come morning.


	6. Chapter 5

Mikey's alarm woke them both come morning, Randall growling his frustrations as he rolled onto his side, turning his back to his friend. "Come on, buddy! Time to wake up!" Mikey shouted, hopping out of his own bed. He rushed over to his window and drew back the curtains, the sun's warm light spreading through the room.

"What time is it?" Randall asked as he looked over his shoulder. Dark circles dying the skin underneath his eyes.

"Seven." Mikey replied, fumbling about with his books and pencils as he gathered what he would need for the day. He was obviously excited for the first day of school.

"What? Why so early? Class starts at ten." Randall bellowed, his tiredness reflected in his cranky tone.

"Well, I thought you might want breakfast."

Randall stared at him blankly. "I don't eat breakfast." he mumbled, his head falling back against his pillow. "Go on without me and wake me up when you get back."

"Sure thing, pal." Mikey replied, placing his books back down on his desk. "I'll even leave my stuff so I _have_ to come back."

Honestly, Randall could care less if Mikey forgot or not. While he was excited to start the scare program, his lack of sleep had rendered him completely exhausted. All he wished to do was rest. As soon as the door closed behind his tiny, one eyed friend, Randall was sound asleep. However, his slumber only lasted an hour or so, as Mikey made sure he was quick with his task.

"I'm back!" shouted Mikey, the door slamming against the wall from his sudden entry. This action shocked his scaly friend into sitting up, his eyes wide with shock. "What?! What's happening?"

"Nothin', but I got you some coffee."

"Coffee?" Randall muttered as Mikey handed him a small, paper cup.

"Yeah. It should help wake you up." he said with a grin. "Sorry I took so long! The lines were crazy this morning."

"I've never had coffee." Randall admitted. Though his family had a variety of expensive spices, teas, and coffees, Randall normally stuck to the latter, never taking part in caffeinated beverages. They often gave him headaches. Not to mention the flavor, or the sweetness - like with soda - being too much for his taste buds to handle. So, he often drank teas of various kinds, his favorite being camomile. The aroma and flavor was much more gentle compared to other beverages. As he stared into the dark, swirling liquid inside of his cup, Randall felt uneasy. The smell was overpowering, filling his nostrils with a roasted, earthy smell. "Try it!" Mikey shouted. "I put some sugar in it."

Wearily, the reptile brought the edge of the cup to his lips, taking a small sip. The liquid burned as it traveled down his throat, the flavors creating a thick coat of muck against his tongue. "I don't like it." he said, placing the cup on his desk.

"What?" Mikey said, somewhat surprised. "That's every college kids go-to drink to stay awake. Well, other than energy drinks."

"I don't drink those either."

Unamused, Mikey pursed his lips. "Wait til it cools, then try again."

"I'd rather not."

"Well, I gotta help you stay awake somehow! Would you rather I slap you?"

"No, no..." Randall said, rubbing his eyes. "I'll do it. Just let me get my stuff."

It took a few moments for Randall to gather his things, his pace much slower than Mikey appreciated. He was ready - had been ready - standing by the door with his supplies. The cyclops tapped his foot impatiently, aggravated that this action had little to no effect on his friend's speed. When the reptile was just about ready, his body barely able to stand straight - resembling a curly straw - the tiny cyclops handed him the cup of coffee. The liquid had barely cooled during Randall's preparation, the outside of the mug heating his hands enough for him to wince. "You sure you got it?" Mikey asked, the piping hot cup shaking as Randall took it from his hands. "Yeah, I got it..." he replied, the dark liquid spilling from all sides due to the uneven movements of its owner. Randall brought the cup's edge to his lips and slowly took a second sip. Dark circles tainted the underside of his eyes, red lines scurrying across his scleras. Mikey stared up at his friend, a look of concern written all over his face. "You alright, pal?"

"No, not really." Randy replied, his words escaping quicker than his mind could process them, resulting in an odd slur of mumbles and moans. "I didn't sleep well."

"You... need anything?"

"No, I'm good. This is fine." he said, lifting the cup just slightly.

"Uh..." Mikey watched as half of the cups contents spilled onto the floor. "Maybe I should get a lid."

Randall looked down into the white cup, its edges stained from the liquid inside it. There was just a small sip left. "No, it's... it's about empty."

"You really haven't had coffee, have you?"

"Nope." he said, letting out a deep sigh before dropping the cup onto the ground, his hand shaking so much that it could barely keep hold. "First one."

"Remind me to never bring you another one."

"Will do." Randy replied, his hand now pinching the skin between his eyes. The minor amount caffeine he had consumed was surging through his brain, causing a minor headache. "Today is going to be rough."

"Hey! Don't say that! You wont know for sure until you finish it." Mikey replied, maneuvering over to his friend's side. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pushed him onwards. "Come on, buddy. Class starts soon."

The two of them made their way out of the dormitory district and into the center of campus. They passed the school of engineering, the school of technology, and even the Quad, which sat just in front of the school of their destination: the School of Scaring. The grounds were packed with students, each heading to their designated classes. It was plain to see that a certain creed of monsters got into the school of scaring. Usually, these monsters were quite terrifying, either having sharp teeth, sharp horns, many eyes, tentacles, rough skin, a tall physique, or claws. Monsters who attended the various other classes were small, with one or two eyes, and soft skin. They were cute, in comparison to their terrifying counterparts.

The separation of ranks was obvious as the scaring students made their way across the grounds, while the less frightening students made their way in the opposite direction. Eyes turned when a _certain_ monster did not follow suit. "What's everyone staring at?" Mikey asked, turning to Randall, who was just beginning to wake up.

"Everyone's staring?" he asked, reaching a shaky hand to his face where he slowly rubbed his eyes. He glanced around, eyes squinted half closed as he looked around for any monsters peering his way. Having been so accustomed to being stared at himself, he believed that he was the culprit of his fellow classmates actions. He felt as if he were back in high school, worried that he had somehow embarrassed himself again. He tried to recall anything he may have done to warrant any judgmental glances, but thought of nothing. Then, it clicked with him. He had forgotten the company he was with, his eyes shifting down to the blurred image of Mike Wazowski. He knows why they're staring, he thought to himself, a look of irritation crossing of his face - not directed toward Mikey, but the crowd of stereotypical students. They assumed he was lost, or a fool for believing that he was scary. While Randall has yet to see his friends skills in person, he never doubted his capabilities. Mikey had shown him his schedule, his application, and even his student ID. There was no way for a monster to forge all of that information perfectly. Even if Mikey was as smart as his test results stated him to be. "How do you put up with this?" Randall asked.

Mikey turned his eye to him, gazing up with confusion. "With what?" he asked, smiling happily.

"You know what, Mikey. Everyone is staring at you."

"No way! I'm just an average Joe heading to his class." he replied with a laugh.

"A _scaring_ class." Randall added, giving him a look of doubt. "Mikey, you've dealt with this before. I just wanna know how. It's kind of hard to ignore." Randall's eyes danced around, catching the blurred gazes of several students who were close enough to distinguish.

"Are you doubting me?" Mikey replied, sounding hurt.

"No, Mikey." Randall replied, sounding genuinely honest. "But _they_ are." His head motioned all around, hinting to Mikey that every student in their vicinity was watching them closely. Mikey, somewhat heartbroken, lowered his gaze. "Normally, I just ignore them, but because you pointed it out... I noticed."

Randall felt guilty for not having realized this sooner. "It always worked for me. It doesn't matter how big the crowd is, or how many are looking. I just ignore them. I pretend they don't exist. I know my capabilities, and they don't. All I have to do is prove it to them."

Randall stared at him in awe as he spoke. Why didn't I think of that, he thought to himself. He'd always let the bullies' words get to him, no matter how unintelligent the statements were, or how overly critical. He_ let_ them hurt him. "You're right, Mikey." he replied. "I'm sorry for pointing it out." As his words finished, the clock tower atop the school of business rang out over the campus, warning the students that they had only a few minutes left to get to class.

"Better hurry!" Mike shouted, his joyful expression returning, although it seemed a tad bit forced. "Mikey, wait!" Randall shouted, grabbing the tiny monster's shoulder just before he darted away. "I'm sorry. You're not mad at me, are you?" It took a moment for the tiny creature to respond, but he eventually did, a sheepish smirk appearing on his face. "No... just gotta get back in the zone." Randall paused for a moment as he examined his friend's expression, being certain that the one eyed ball wasn't lying to him. " Okay." he said, letting go of his shoulder. "I'll meet you inside." With a skip in his step, Mike made his way over to the golden statue, sitting just outside the doors to the school. With a gentle hand, he touched it, as all students did. This action was, and still is a school tradition, started by the university's own students - a sort of ritual for good luck. He then continued on, ascending the stairs to the entrance of the school. It was like a parting of the waters, his fellow classmates stepping aside the further he went, completely baffled at the sight of him. Every monster was shocked to see him pass through the front doors without a hint of doubt in his eye. Randall struggled to keep up with him, seeing as the students decided to fill the waters back in when Mikey disappeared into the entryway.

Eventually, he made it inside and was completely floored by the sight. Burgundy curtains lined every window, the floor decked out in finished marble. Stone columns lined the staircase, leading upstairs to dome observatory. Their classroom was beneath the circular structure, through two sets of doors, just behind the stairs. Slowly, the reptile made his way over to them, admiring the sights of the school he'd always dreamed to step into. "It's even better than I thought." he mumbled, his eyes wide with wonder. When he reached the door, he took a moment to appreciate the doorknob: it was a bronze monster head, with it's horns acting as the handle. Slowly he took it, his eyes boring into the dark wood of the door. With a deep breath, he pushed it open.

The door opened to a similarly circular room, with stairs leading down to the classroom floor. Rows and rows of chairs lined the steps, each one filling up quickly as students flowed in. Along the classroom floor were several busts of Deans past, as well as the current Dean, who held a record braking scream in her scare energy can. Several students admired it from their seats, while others dared a closer look. Randall quickly made his way through, his eyes squinting together, trying to locate Mikey. He spotted him in the front row, just as he'd taken his seat, his horns barely reaching above the seat backing.

He joined him, climbing into his seat, his lower half curled comfortably by his left side. "It's a lot darker than I expected." he whispered at Mikey, who was happily bouncing in his seat. Randall was relieved to see that Mikey's excitement had returned, and he too tried to pump himself up, ignoring his nerves as best he could.

"I know! I can't believe I'm really here!" he shouted in a hushed voice.

"Neither can we." a student mumbled behind them. Mikey didn't hear them, but Randall did, turning his head enough to look over his shoulder. He spotted the culprit, giggling with her friend beside her. With a grumble, Randall turned away just as their professor entered the classroom.

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Mr. Knight, and I will be your Scaring 101 instructor." The professor's voice was low and stern - like a police officer. He resembled a small tyrannosaurus rex, with a pair of square framed glasses resting on his nose. Every student's eyes were focused on him, already intimidated by his militant attitude. "Who can tell me how to perform a perfect roar?"

Immediately, Mikey's hand shot up, various sounds of attention seeking ("Oh! Oo!") escaping his lips. Mr. Knight quickly responded. "Yes?"

As Mike began to list off the requested requirements, he was interrupted by a large, bellowing roar. Everyone turned to the entryway, where a large monster stood, completely silhouetted by the sunlight. "Very nice." Mr. Knight said, turning his attention to the late student. He squinted his eyes, curious to see who, and what this student was. The monster then entered, revealing his features. He was a large beast, covered in blue hair and purple polka dots. Two horns protruded from his head, and ivory claws extended from his fingers. He even had scales lining his back. "Sorry I'm late sir. I got lost."

"That's alright. Just don't let it happen again." he replied, raising an eyebrow. "You are?"

"Sullivan. James P. Sullivan." he said, extending his hand.

With wide eyes and dropped jaws, the entire class gazed onward at the famous family named monster. The Sullivans were well known in the scaring industry, racking up countless records, and performing to their utmost potential, producing superb work. Even Randall knew the family name. If this monster is a Sullivan, then he's sure to do well, he thought to himself.

"A Sullivan?" Mr. Knight responded, returning the gesture. "Well, your parents must be proud."

"They are, sir."

"Mr. Knight." Mikey began. "Would you like me to continue?"

"Ah, no, that's alright." Mr. Knight said with a smile, letting go of the new student's hand. "Mr. Sullivan took care of it."

With a cocky grin, Sullivan nodded towards Mikey, who promptly returned to his seat with an angry huff. Randall started to comfort his friend, but stopped when his eyes focused on Sullivan. There was something about that monster that he did not like, but he couldn't put his finger on it. His family name is world known, and yet this slob acts like a cocky buffoon. "Something isn't right..." he mumbled. His thoughts were interrupted when their professor spoke once more. "Hm, class..." Mr. Knight began, eying Sullivan up and down. "Take a note from Mister Sullivan here and show me your best face for a good roar."

The class obeyed, every student revealing their horrific teeth, fangs, and tongues. Some students even drew back their lips, creating a nasty looking snarl. Unamused by this by the book presentation, James let out another growl, his horrific image now visible to his peers. To Mikey's disappointment, his challenger was quite terrifying, despite his bright and colorful appearance. Mr. Knight, turning to face his student once more, chuckled in response. "One frightening face does not a monster make, Mr. Sullivan."

The blue haired beast seemed surprised by his less than approving response. "Have a seat." Mr. Knight said, pointing to the final open chair in the classroom. James made his way up as Mr. Knight addressed him once more. "I expect big things from you."

"You wont regret it, sir."

Mikey then turned in his seat, sending an angry glare in the direction of his interrupter, who was borrowing a pencil from a fellow classmate. "I left mine back in my room" he said with a charming grin.

"Sure thing." the student replied, handing him a pencil, which he promptly used to clean some food out from between his teeth. Mikey's jaw dropped, appalled by the sight. The blue beast noticed that Mikey was looking at him and gave him a wink, to which Mikey responded with a glare. "Just ignore him." Randall muttered, touching his friend's shoulder to get him to turn around. Begrudgingly, the cyclops obeyed, returning his attention to the lesson at hand. The reptilian monster then sent his own look to Sullivan, warning him to leave Mikey alone. The beast seemed surprised by this, his actions ceasing in response.

"Now, you may have been the scariest monster in your town, but you're in the big leagues now. I want you to impress me this semester, and I warn you... I do not scare easily."

Just as he spoke those words, the windows, shedding light into the room, closed shut, shrouding the chamber in darkness. Strange sounds echoed all around, coming from the ceiling, the walkway, and even right beside the few unlucky students sitting close to the edges of their row. Eventually, whatever was making that sound, ceased it's movements. Everything was silent, every student's eyes flickering back and forth, waiting for something to jump out of the darkness. Then, a single curtain opened, a ray of light shining down onto the bust of headmistress Hardscrabble. Then, in an instant, the dean herself landed in front of it, her wingspan casting an eerie shadow across the floor. She stood straight, her arms placed behind her back as her wings followed suit.

"Good morning." she spoke.

"Ah, good morning, Dean Hardscrabble." replied Derek Knight, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "To what do we owe the honor?"

"I just came to get a good look at the students taking part in my scare program." She turned to face her bust, her eyes drifting to the can containing her record breaking scream, resting silently in it's place. She dusted it off as Mr. Knight spoke once more. "Would you like to say a few words of inspiration?"

"Inspiration?" she questioned, raising a brow to her colleague. "Why not?" She then stepped forward, revealing her centipede-like body. Her legs created a strange crawling sound against the tiled floor, making every student uncomfortable. It was plainly obvious how she earned her record breaking title as top scarer. She was, without even trying, utterly terrifying.

"Scariness is the true measure of a monster. Monsters only exist to scare. Without that power, you're _nobody_." she said,pausing for a moment. "You will be tested at the end of this semester. If you fail this final exam, you will be out of the scaring program _forever_."

"Forever?" Mikey shouted, his voice hidden amongst his fellow classmates gasps of shock. Randall too sat wide eyed, his eyes focused on the Dean's fluid movements as she returned to her most prized possession, dusting it off a second time. "Yes, you all heard right. So, keep this in mind: If you're not scary, what kind of monster are you? Don't disappoint me." With her final thoughts expressed, the Dean spread her wings and left, exiting the dome's windowless atrium. Several students let out relieved sighs, having held their breath the entire time the Deam had been present, while others whispered amongst themselves. Even James appeared uneasy, a look of worry written all across his face.

"Well, you all heard her. Let's get to work then, shall we?" Mr. Knight said. "Open your books to chapter one." He then turned to face the board, writing down the days requirements. Both Randall and Mikey pulled out their books and notepads, ready to take down any information needed. Mikey sent one last look in Sullivan's direction and was less than entertained by the sight of the beast. He was leaning back in his seat, his feet resting on the back of another student's chair. The monsters sitting beside him cheered this action on. The unlucky student who's seat he used, promptly gave it up, moving to the walkway instead. Seeing this, Sullivan let out a small laugh, adjusting his position, getting more comfortable.

"Can you believe him?!" Mikey whispered, facing the proper way in his seat. As his small friend returned to his notes, Randall glanced up at James, who met eyes with him as he did so. With a low growl, his lips drawn back just enough for his gleaming fangs to show, Randall shook his head and looked away. This response irritated James, staring down at the two of them with a look of irritation. For now, they each ignored the other, the two friends concentrating on their class work. In the back of his mind, Randall knew that this_ beast_ was going to be a problem... for both of them.


	7. Chapter 6

Flakes of chalk fell to the floor as Derek Knight wrote the last few lines of his homework assignment for the class on the blackboard, designating the chapter and subject of a small essay they were to complete before the end of the week. His students jotted down the information, trying to keep up with the white utensil, squeaking away against the rough surface of the black board. "That's all for today." he announced, placing the chalk on the podium. "Class dismissed."

All together, the crowd of students rose, gathered their things, and made their way out of the classroom. The bell tower outside rang, echoing through the dome's atrium and into the classroom, announcing that it was lunchtime. Reaching over his head, Mikey stretched his arms high, his back popping from the strain. "Two hours." he muttered, twisting his torso back and forth, trying to relax his muscles, which were tight from sitting for so long.

Randall slithered out of his seat, stretching his back and tail as he did so. "I had no idea we'd be sitting for so long." he groaned, arching his body in ways no normal monster could. "I'm even more tired than I was this morning."

"You feeling confident about that essay?" Mikey asked, his single brow raising curiously.

"Oh yea..." Randall replied, his actions slowing. He hesitantly glanced over at Mikey, who watched him knowingly. "I may need so help, though."

With a chuckle, Mikey replied, "No problem, buddy."

From a few rows back, Sullivan remained seated, fast asleep beside a new buddy of his. The two of them had drifted off around the thirty minute mark, and were promptly awoken by their professor. Derek Knight scolded them both, but more so Sullivan, seeing as he had a reputation to uphold. Randall glanced up to get a look at the commotion, and smiled to himself when he realized what was going on. "You're giving your family a bad name. I expect better from you during future classes." Mr. Knight said sternly, his finger pressed against James' chest.

"Apologies, sir." James said, a look of anger across his face. "It wont happen again."

"It better not." With that, the professor turned away, heading back to his podium. Sullivan watched him, making an immature expression with his face, obviously not taking his superiors threat to heart. Randall shook his head and looked away, just in time to meet eyes with Mikey. "Ready?" the tiny cyclops asked.

"Yeah." Randall replied. "Gotta get a head start on that essay."

As the two exited the classroom, they heard a minor commotion coming from the steps outside. Apparently, Frat Row was hosting a party, and was inviting anyone in the scaring program to attend. Randall's eyes lit up when he was handed a flyer, complete shock surging through him. Even he was invited? His body shook as he read the details, eager to go and make some more friends. If he was being invited, surely there are other scarers like him attending as well - scarers who are not so confident in their abilities. I should make something, he thought.

"Cupcakes!" he muttered, quickly thinking of a recipe in his head. Another aspect of the serpent was that he enjoyed baking. Cupcakes were one of his specialties. He never mentioned this hobby to anyone, seeing as he was teased enough for being himself. He often baked pastries for the parties his parents would host, or disguised his pastries as bought items from the grocery store when he attended other events. Should he bake something, would his fellow classmates find that childish? He turned to face Mikey, about to ask his opinion on the subject, when he noticed that the one eyed monster had crumbled his invite.

"Oh..." Randall mumbled, watching the scrap of paper fall to the ground. It rolled, bouncing down the staircase until it hit the walkway, where it stopped completely. "You and I have more important things to do, huh?" Mikey asked.

"Uh, yea." Randall replied. "Our essay..."

"Let's hurry back!" Mikey began. "I have all the necessary books on my desk." The little monster ran ahead, brushing past a few students on his way. Randall watched him for a moment, his small friend unaware that the reptile had fallen behind. Having barely started walking, Randall's pace slowed to a stop, his mind racing with thoughts about what he should do. Should he stay and study? He had the rest of the week to complete the paper, and the subject wasn't _too_ difficult. It's just one party...

Who knows? Maybe the cool kids will want to talk to him. Things were going well enough for him during his first few days of school. Maybe he could blend in better than he expected? That was his specialty, after all.

"Hey!" came a voice from behind him, interrupting his thoughts. Randall turned to look and was greeted by a medium sized monster, with two large horns sprouting from either side of his head. His shirt appeared to have a fraternity logo on the chest, which he proudly displayed with his stature, his collar popped enough to reveal his furry chest. "You're that guy who can disappear, right?"

"How'd you know?" Randall asked, his mind filling with worry. Had he seen him? Did that monster from the other day say something? Had he been so obvious? Was he about to get beat up again? His body shook, his hands becoming clammy.

"I saw you the other day, when you defended your friend."

"Oh...?" Randall said, his voice quiet. He wasn't certain as to what he should say, his mouth hesitating with every response he tried to make.

"Hey, no worries, kid. I was just gonna ask you about the party. You coming?"

"I-I'm not sure..." he said, his voice shaking.

"I think you should." he replied, giving Randall a proud smile. "I'd like to see your abilities first hand. So would my frat crew."

"Really...?" Randall asked, his voice filled with doubt. His eyes trailed to the ground, tracing every crack and crevice in the sidewalk.

"Name's Johnny Worthington - RΩR Fraternity - Scaring Major." The monster extended his hand to Randall, who hesitantly returned the gesture, never lifting his eyes from the ground. "Randall Boggs - Scaring Major."

"I look forward to seeing you at the party, Randy." he said, retrieving his hand from Randall's grasp. The nickname surprised him, his eyes lifting high enough to see the monster's hand. Randall kept an eye on that limb, expecting him to rub his hand against his shirt due to the moisture from Randall's own. My hands were so clammy, he thought to himself, worried that he'd already messed up this monster's first impression of him. However, his hand never adjusted. It remained at his side, a look of amusement across his face. "You okay?" he asked, a slight chuckle accompanying the question.

"Yeah..."

Johnny eyed the reptile up and down once, his smile widening. "See you there." he said, slowly turning away. Two other monsters joined him after a few yards, telling him about their classes, and asking how his went. They were wearing the same symbol on their jackets. Johnny gave one last look over his shoulder, his friends following his gaze. "That's him?" Randall heard one ask, sounding excited. "Yep." Johnny muttered. "That's him."

"I can't wait to see him go invisible!" the other exclaimed. Eventually, they drifted too far for the reptile to hear anymore.

Randall remained still, going over what just happened in his brain. Was this a ruse? He seemed genuine enough. Then again, Johnny and his friends seemed to only care about his blending capabilities. Could he really be accepted by cool students? He wasn't certain. He'd never been invited to a party in his life, other than his own. He had his doubts, but decided to give it a shot. Without anyone to argue with, Randall deemed his cupcake idea to be the right one and made his way back to the dorms, locating the public kitchen. He quickly whipped together a small batch of cupcakes, somewhat disappointed that he was only able to bake about eight. "What kind of decorations could I make with eight cakes?" he mumbled, a finger placed against his lips. He thought for a moment before an idea struck him.

After waiting for the pastries to cool, he quickly iced them using a vanilla butter cream. Once every cake had an even amount of coating, he took another batch of icing and wrote his message: be my pal. Once done, he admired his work, searching for any mistakes. "Perfect." he muttered, happy to find that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his decorations. Using a pair of mittens he found on the counter - the years of use visible due to the burns and stains covering the fingers - Randall carried his tray of goodies back to his dorm room. Seeing as his hands were occupied, he used his tail to open the door, entering the room backwards.

Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Wazowski, his face buried into his text book. The cyclops glanced over at his roommate the second the door closed, turning in his chair to face him. "Whatcha got there?" Mikey asked.

"Just some cupcakes."

"Cupcakes?"

"Yeah, for the party. It's our only chance to get in with the cool kids." Randall replied.

"Randy, you don't have to be a cool kid to be a good scarer."

"I know..." Randall mumbled, placing the tray of cakes on his desk. He then put away his school supplies, making sure to keep his important documents visible, to remind him about the essay. He then brought his hands together in front of him, rubbing them together awkwardly. "I just... I thought I'd try to make some more friends."

"You can make them any time. You don't have to go to the party to do it. We have an essay to work on."

"I know..." the reptilian beast mumbled, admiring the work he'd put into his desserts. "Still... it couldn't hurt to go. I mean... I've never been invited to anything in my life and... now I have been."

"Well, _you_ can go. I'm staying behind to study." Mike replied, turning in his chair. He quickly began to write again, glancing back and forth between his text book and his paper.

"Suit yourself." Randall replied. "I promise I'll be back before it gets late." He then picked up the tray, revealing it to Mikey. "Hey, what do you think of my message?" he asked. Mikey looked at the tray awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. Before he could give his opinion, Randall noticed that one of the letters was upside down, his message reading 'Be my dal?' He quickly flipped it over so that the message read correctly. "That could have been embarrassing."

"Uh, yea." Mikey replied, rolling his eye before returning his attention to his work. "I'll see you later."

"Good luck with your essay!" Randall said, making his way to the door. Just as quickly as he had entered, he was gone, standing in the hallway with his tray of goodies held out in front of him.

The halls were bustling with fellow students. Some were meeting with study groups, while others were heading in the same direction as Randall, carrying snacks and beverages with them. Several onlookers snickered after reading the monster's sweet message, but the purple creature hardly took notice. He was going over various scenarios in his mind, trying to play out the best way to speak to his classmates. The further along he went - the closer he got to Frat Row - the busier the sidewalks became. Louder and louder the sound of music and heavy bass filled his ears, the noise vibrating to a specific beat. Students stood outside, talking, or playing games, while others were inside the various fraternity houses, dancing. Randall searched for Johnny's fraternity, gently making his way through the crowds, being careful not to mess up his cupcakes.

One student accidentally bumped into him, causing his tray to tilt. One of the desserts almost fell off, Randall exclaiming his concerns while quickly manuevering himself to catch it. "Sorry man." the monster said, continuing on his way without so much as a second glance. Randall studied his pastries carefully, making sure they were alright. "I worked hard on these..." he mumbled, his eyes beginning to water. "No, they're fine. Don't get worked up." With a large intake of breath, the serpent calmed his nerves and continued on his his trek to the RΩR house.

With a bit of deductive reasoning, he spotted it. The fraternity resided in the very center of Frat Row - the middle most house - and it was decked out like a high class museum. "Whoa..." he said, his eyes wide with wonder. He soon squinted them, trying to get a better look at the decor, but with it being so dark, he couldn't make out a thing. He could barely make out the students standing beneath the street lights. All he knew was that it was large, red, and packed to the brim with monsters. "Okay... you can do this. Everything will be fine." The monster took a moment to compose himself, trying to hide his nerves, and make himself appear confident. He stood tall, his extra set of arms crossed beneath his cupcake tray, which he proudly displayed before him. He straightened his spines, putting on a cool expression. With another inhale of air, he moved forward, making his way into the frat house.

He spent a good number of minutes walking around and offering his cupcakes to the various guests and onlookers. Most of them snickered and turned him down, while others flat out laughed. He didn't let these reactions detour him, seeing as other monsters had been kinder, gently turning him away with an excuse regarding their diet, giving him hope for a monster who would accept his offering. "There's got to be someone here like me..." he said, continuing onward. He heard a bit of commotion outside, a strange squealing sound accompanying the clamor. Eventually, curiosity got the better of him and he went outside to the side deck to investigate. The distraction must have moved on, because there was nothing to be seen on the street. "Hm..." he mumbled, peering around a few monsters standing outside on the wooden structure. He then spotted a couple sitting on the steps, and decided to try his luck with them.

He made his way over, putting on a smile. "Cupcake?" he asked, showing them his tray. The female monster read the message and covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. The guy seemed as if he were about to take one, when a loud squeal came from behind Randall. Before he could even turn to get a look, he was knocked down, his tray of cupcakes flying into the air. The pastries landed on his face, splattering all over the deck, and nearby students. Regrettably, the icing blocked his view, preventing him from spotting the culprit of the accident. The two students he had been interacting with could no longer hold in their laughter, especially after reading the new message left behind by his cupcakes.

_**Lame.**_

Randall wiped the icing from his eyes, his mind slowly catching up with the sudden event that had taken place. Unfortunately, he understood exactly what was going on. They're laughing at me, he thought. He glanced at the window beside him, taking in the image reflected back. To his dismay, his thoughts were proven correct. The word, sloppily written across his face, displayed what everyone had known all along - what Randy had known all along. I'm such a loser, he thought. His posture faltered, his back hunching, and spines lowering. His eyes began to water as his fellow classmates laughter bellowed all around him. "What's so funny?" asked a familiar voice. It was Johnny, the RΩR fraternity leader. Quickly, the serpent glided across the deck, heading into the front yard and onto the street. He didn't notice Mike and Sulley, wrangling the Fear Tech mascot only a few yards away. He was far too preoccupied with getting away. He couldn't let Johnny see him like that. Not after he'd expressed his interest in the reptile's skills.

His fleeing continued until he reached the dorms, the serpent retreating into the washroom. He promptly locked the door behind him, not wanting any more students to see his shame. Most of the students in the dorms were either in bed, or at the party, but he wasn't certain if any jokers had followed him back. The reptile prided himself in his speed and, after a moment's pause, assumed that no one had kept up with him - there would be no interruptions. He wandered over to the showers and turned on the water, allowing the hot liquid to wash away the icing, now dry against his skin. He thought over the nights events in his mind, his eyes once more filling with tears. "I haven't changed at all..." he mumbled. "It's just like high school... no one is going to take me seriously."

A single tear fell from his eyes, mixing with the water streaming down his body. The room began to fill with steam, somewhat calming the reptile's nerves. Being that he was a lizard-type monster, heat and humidity calmed him - helped him to relax - but even the enjoyable shower couldn't change what had happened tonight. Randall could no longer keep his strong facade up. Tears began to form at an alarming rate, streaming down his cheeks in thick waves. He curled himself up against the tiled floor, allowing the water to wash over his entire body. He remained in the bathroom for over an hour, the water becoming cold during the last five minutes of his breakdown. When he could no longer stand the icy water, he reached up to the faucet and turned it off, sending the room into silence.

He slowly stood, his feet splattering against the wet floor as he made his way to the door, creating a quiet echo in the tiled room. He unlocked it, relieved to see that no one was waiting on the other side. He used his blending ability to go peer down the hallway in both directions, just in case anyone from the party was wandering around.

Thankfully, the walkway was just as empty as it had been previously, allowing the reptile to return to his natural state. He entered his dorm room, his eyes glued to the floor, not noticing his friend sitting at his desk. "There you are, Randy!" Mikey exclaimed, hopping down from his seat. "You will not believe what just happened to me." He sounded angry, his hands clenched into fists. Randall turned to face him, but didn't meet eyes with his tiny friend.

"I ran into that Sullivan guy and... hey..." Mikey stopped, his eye focused on Randall's sullen face. He hadn't noticed just how down trodden his friend looked. "You okay?"

Any monster with issues as severe as Randall's knows that being asked if you're okay only makes things worse. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to think about it. Mikey's question only reminded him, causing his eyes to fill with tears once more, a single drop falling from his eyes. "Randall, what happened?" Mikey asked, rushing to his side. His face was filled with worry, a gentle hand against the reptile's back.

"Nothing... it's nothing."

"Did someone... _hurt_ you?"

"Not physically." Randall mumbled.

"Tell me what happened, Randy. Please..."

Randall shut his eyes tight, turning away from Mikey to crawl into his own bed, curling up underneath his sheets. Mikey walked over to his bedside and lifted the fabric, shocked to see his new friend so upset. His sheets were already stained with tears. "Randall, talk to me. I'm your friend. I'm here for you."

"Are you?" Randall asked, his voice filled with irritation. "Or are you just like them? You're just looking for ways to make me look bad - to make me appear like an idiot - aren't you?"

"No, Randall..." Mikey said, sounding hurt by these sudden accusations. "Why would you think that? What happened to you?"

"Some jerk hit me, making me drop my cupcakes... they landed on my face. Everyone laughed at me..."

"Oh..." Mikey said, his eye wide with horror. He appeared to have some idea as to what may have happened to his discouraged friend, his brow slowly drawing upwards. He met eyes with Randall, his face slowly changing into one filled with guilt. "I'm so sor-" he began, soon being interrupted by the melancholy reptile before him.

"When I find out who did that to me, they're dead!" Randall shouted, his lips drawn back to reveal his rows of jagged teeth, tears streaming down his face. It was no longer clear as to whether or not Randall was sad, or angry... perhaps it was a bit of both. Mikey looked away, intimidated by his friend's menacing threat. He wanted to tell the truth, but feared the outcome. "You tell em, buddy." he said, pursing his brow, though his lips turned up into a reassuring - somewhat forced - smile.

"College was supposed to be different." Randall began, burying his face in his hands. "I was supposed to make a name for myself. Maybe even become cool... Or, at the very_ least_, not get noticed. Especially for something as embarrassing at what happened tonight. It's only been a day and I'm already a laughing stock."

"You don't know that." Mikey said, pulling the sheets off of Randall. The reptile curled himself tighter, the cold air causing him to shiver. "I bet no one even knows it was you."

Randall doubted that. With all of the students he'd offered the cupcakes to, the moment those pastries are mentioned, his fellow classmates will know that it was him who got covered in butter cream and cake. "Just get some rest." Mikey said, returning the sheets to their owner. "I'm sure everyone will forget about it in the morning."

"I hope you're right..."


	8. Chapter 7

Dawn arrived faster than Randall had wished, his eyes heavy from lack of sleep. He was still curled up in his bed, his mind contemplating whether or not he should stay in his dorm room, or go to class. With the events that took place last night, he knew he was going to be called out - recognized. He couldn't bare the thought of taking that chance. His excuse to Mikey for skipping was that it was an optional course, only added to meet the minimum quota.

"I can miss it this once. It's an easy class..." said the reptile, peering at Mikey from beneath his comforter. "I can catch up."

"Be that as it may, you shouldn't stay cooped up in here all day! It's not healthy."

"It's just for today..." the purple beast said before breaking his gaze with Mikey. "...or until everyone on campus forgets what happened last night."

Mikey stared at his pal with annoyance, completely baffled as to why anyone would want to skip their classes, and why his friend was allowing a simple accident to cause so much damage. "You're never gonna be a scarer this way! You need to keep up with your work."

"Mikey..." Randall sighed, burying his face further into his sheets. "You just... you don't understand."

The little ball of green hesitated, examining Randy's features. The reptile was completely disheartened, a look of fear dancing through his eyes. It was as if an unavoidable doom was looming over him, casting a foreboding shadow. Mikey recalled last night, and how Randall's outburst sent himself into stunned silence. "This really did get to you... huh?" the cyclops asked, his eyes trailing to the floor.

Randall didn't even mutter a response. His vision remained glued to the bed, his eyes tracing over the Louis Vuitton logo again and again, until Mikey sat down. "I'm sorry, buddy. I'm so used to how _I_ handle things that I didn't take into account how _you_ handle them. You're a lot more sensitive than I am, and I need to remember that."

"Years of abuse will do that to you." Randall said, daring a glance at Mikey.

"If you know that it's affecting you, then why do you let it?"

"Again, pal... you don't understand."

Mikey sighed in frustration, trying to figure out what his lizard buddy was getting at. "I _want_ to understand." he mumbled.

Randall looked at him with confusion. "You do?"

"Well, yea. You're my pal and I wanna be able to help you."

The blind lizard had his doubts, staring at Mikey's blurred shape. Whenever any monster had tried to be friends with him for longer than a day, it always resulted in him being hurt. Mikey had been by his side for multiple days, as well as classes, with no sign of faltering. Perhaps he was a true friend, and nothing like the people he knew in high school. But, what if he just had an amazing poker face? He didn't want to tell the little one eyed ball that he didn't trust him, because it would be a half truth. Part of him did trust him - wanted to trust him. It was his mind, swirling with doubts and fears of the past repeating itself that held him back. That and he was afraid of upsetting the little guy, his own worries being the culprit to ending their friendship.

Still, if Mikey was truly a _real_ friend, then he needed to know - he deserved to know. "I'll tell you. Just... not right now."

"We can go have lunch." Mikey suggested, his expression relaxing.

"Where at?" Randall asked, sitting up.

"There's a cafe a few blocks away. We can go after I get out of class."

Mikey hopped off of Randall's bed, making his way over to his desk to grab his things. "Meet me at the oak tree by the gates at one and we'll go, okay?" Mikey said. He turned to face his sullen friend and smiled brightly, trying to reassure him. "I wont be late. I promise."

Wearily, the serpent nodded, meeting eyes with Mike, who was now standing by the door, his hand loosely gripped around the handle. "One o clock!" he said, causing Randall to smile a little.

"I wont forget, Mike." he mumbled.

"You better not, or I'll jab ya to death with my horns!" He bent forward, shoving his head in Randall's direction, a wide smile decorating his face.

Randall snickered, trying to force away his own smile. He didn't want to show Mikey that he'd succeeded in making him laugh, boosting his ego even higher than it already was. Though they'd only known one another for a few days, Randall quickly understood that the tiny monster was a jokester. He was always finding ways to make Randy laugh, or, at the very least, cause him to smile. "I wont, I promise." Randall said, a tiny hint of laughter nudging at his words.

And with that final reassurance, the one eyed ball left, running to get to his class in time. Randall remained in his bed for the one hour wait, gazing sleepily out his window. Part of him felt guilty for missing his class. He was always very good at being on time, and hardly ever took a sick day during his school years - unless it was absolutely necessary. He had a_ near_ perfect record. There were several incidents where his mother made him stay home to avoid certain students and their threats, but this wasn't high school. This was college. Were students just as immature as their younger counterparts? Would they remember, or would they even care about his humiliation the previous night? Randall wasn't certain. He may just be assuming too much... or he may be one hundred percent correct.

Eventually, the clock tower, looming over the school of business, sounded off, announcing to the campus that is was one o clock. Randall's body began to shake as realization kicked in: he had to leave. "It's okay..." he muttered. "It's just across campus... I can blend in. No one will see me." He slowly uncurled his body, stretching his torso and arms over the side of the bed until he was on the floor, his tail flopping behind him, laying limp on the finished wood. He slowly stood straight, his hands clutched together in front of him, becoming clammy the closer he went to the door. "You promised Mikey..." he said, reaching for the handle.

The metallic knob slipped from his grip the first try, his hands far too sweaty to keep a tight hold. He wiped them on his chest before trying again, this time being successful. The hallway was packed to the brim, sending Randall into a spiraling pit of woe, his skin turning a lighter shade of purple. "Oh no..." he said, the spines on his head laying flat against his skull. "I can't do this..."

He then heard snickering, glancing in every direction for the source. It's me, he thought. They're laughing at me.

Looking around, he could barely make out anyone, their blurred silhouettes quickly darting back and forth across his field of vision. Without even thinking about it - his nerves getting the better of him - the reptile blended into his surroundings. With a deep breath, he moved, gliding across the ground until he was outside. He then stopped, releasing the air stored inside his lungs. No one had taken notice of him. "Did I do it?" he mumbled, glancing back at the dorm. No one appeared to have followed him, and no one really cared that he was standing in the grass just outside. Everyone was carrying on in the same manner as always. "I did it... no one saw me." relief struck him like a sack of bricks, causing him to hunch over for a moment, a hand pressed to his chest. "No one saw me." he said, reassuring himself one more time. Then, the bell rang again - a warning for students heading to class - announcing that they only had five minutes left before they were tardy. "Mikey!" he shouted, realizing that he was late. "He probably thinks I'm not coming." He lowered himself to the ground, extending his body accordingly, and spreading his arms wide. After a brief pause, he moved, all eight of his legs carrying him across campus at an alarming speed. Several onlookers appeared impressed, while others were just wondering what he was doing.

As he passed the school of scaring, he spotted the large oak, planted directly in the center of the campus square. He then spotted Mikey - a little green blur- standing just underneath the tree. The closer he got, the easier it was for him to see his friend, and the disheartened look across his face. Randall felt awful for being late, his guilt reflected in his sullen eyes. As he arrived about halfway to his destination, his little pal took notice of him and promptly waved, his smile returning. "Randall!" he called.

With a chuckle, Randall slowed his pace, standing straight so that he could walk the rest of the way. He was panting, his legs aching from his long run. "Sorry I'm late..." he said.

"No worries, pal." Mikey replied. "Ya hungry?"

"Starving." Randall exclaimed, placing one of his hands against his stomach.

"I'd say you had enough to eat last night." came a voice from behind him. Mikey watched as his friend's joy melted into a look of fear and dread, his body sinking down to the ground as he turned to look at the statement's owner. Complete hopelessness filled the serpent as his vision met with the eyes of James P. Sullivan, standing tall and confident among the RΩR fraternity.

"Weren't you the one who got caked in the face?" Sullivan exclaimed, the edges of his mouth turning up in a smile. Several of the fraternity members snickered behind him. "I heard they were yours. You were offering them to people, asking them to be your _pal_." The last word was spoken with a snicker, several members of his posse laughing quietly behind him.

Randall's stomach was now flat against the ground. He looked like a frightened dog, cowering before it's abuser. As Mikey watched the scene in front of him, taking note of Randall's actions and feelings, he begun to understand what the reptile was getting at back in the dorm. Seeing him like this - seeing Sullivan so proud to hurt someone - caused Mikey to react. He could not longer stand by and watch this event continue. "Listen here, you big furry freak!" he shouted. "You leave my pal, alone." The tiny creature stood in front of his cowering friend, who looked on in shock. "You and I both know who's guilty for embarrassing Randall last night."

Sullivan, to Randall's surprise, cut his gaze away from Mikey, who was glaring daggers in the furry rug's direction. "And I think you owe him, and _me_, an apology for last night."

"What about you?!" Sullivan cursed. "You were the one on the pig!" Even the RΩR members looked on in surprise, amazing that Mikey was the one in charge of the situation, and not their large friend.

"And it was freaking out because of you!" Mikey accused. "If you hadn't come into my room, it would never have taken my hat! I could have finished my work and gone to bed, but _you just_ **_had_** to be the prankster."

Several of the RΩR members gasped, or gawked as Sullivan turned away from Mikey. "I don't have time for this, or you!" the furry beast exclaimed from over his shoulder, waving an arm in the air.

"Good!" Mikey shouted after him. "Get outta here!"

The rest of the beast's crew followed after him, immediately asking him questions. Randall looked up at Mikey, who had turned around to face him. "You okay?" the little monster asked, offering a hand to his fallen pal.

"What did you do to him?" Randall asked, crawling to his feet without accepting the offer. He was far more concerned - curious - as to what his pal had done to warrant such a reaction from James.

"Nothin'."

"Then why is he walking away?"

"It's a long story." Mikey sighed, turning away from Randall to grab his things.

"Tell it to me on the way." Randall said, walking past him, sounding eager to learn more.

Mikey scrambled to gather his things, his pencils flying all over the place as he scampered to pick them up. His notebooks were pressed against his chest, some of the pages bent from the frantic movements of their owner. Randall laughed as Mikey ran, trying to catch up.

"What's so funny?" he asked, Randall shaking his head in response.

"Nothin'." he said. "Now, tell me what happened last night."

"Well..." Mikey began. "It all started after you left."

Randall listened intently, keeping his eyes focused on Mike, even as they exited the front gates of the university. He held the gate open for his tiny friend, who was continuing on with his story.

"And then it grabbed my hat and ran out the window! So I had to chase it, and Sullivan was chasing after me. It ran all the way to Frat Row!"

"So that's what those noises were!" Randall exclaimed, glancing away for a moment. "I was wondering what that was."

"Oh, it gets better. I actually go a hold of it, but I couldn't stop it. So there I am riding on top of it as it crashes through every fraternity on the street!"

Randall smiled as he pictured Mikey riding atop a small creature, the beast squealing away as Sullivan tried to catch up to it. "That must have been a sight." he said.

"Yeah..." replied Mike. "But, now we're at the _bad_ part."

"Bad part?" Randy questioned, his eyes returning to his friend.

The two of them came to a stop as they approached a cross walk, waiting for the light to give them the go ahead to move on. "Last night... what bumped into you..."

"Yea?" Randall's brows drew together, his emotions conflicting inside of him. He wanted Mikey to just say it - to stop beating around the bush. But, another part of him had a feeling that he knew what the one eyed ball was going to say, and he hoped that he was wrong.

"I... it was..."

"Say it." Randall said, his voice getting lower.

"I... I can't I'm... I'm worried about..."

"What? What I'll think?"

Randall's irritation was rising, his voice much louder than it had been a moment before. Monsters along the street were looking now. Why couldn't the little cretin just say it?! It was probably Sullivan, so Mikey had nothing to worry abou - Then, realization set in.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Randall asked, looking away from his small friend and towards the cafe across the street, his eyes thinning to slits.

"It was an accident, Randy." Mike said, his eyes darting back and forth between his friend, and the street below. "I couldn't control it. It just... I'm so sorry..."

Randall's brow relaxed as he let out a sigh, the muscles aching due to the force behind his anger. "No, it..." Randall felt awful for getting upset, even if he hadn't voice it. He let out a sigh, his shoulders sinking down with his head. "It was an accident." And he knew it was. "If I blame anyone, I blame Sullivan for starting the ordeal."

"If it's any consolation..." Mike began. "...Johnny Worthington said a few choice words to me."

"He did?" Randall asked, a bit of a smile on his face. "And what did he have to say?"

"Same as everyone else! That I don't belong in the scare program." The little ball of green was fuming, his face heated in crimson. His one eye had a few specs of red decorating his scleras, his brow pursed down in irritation. Randall smiled, not out of spite, but smusement. It was quite the sight, seeing such an innocent looking monster appear so upset. That and he knew that feeling - the one swelling inside of the tiny creature. He knew it all too well. "You and I have a lot more in common than you think." Randall said, placing a hand on Mike's back.

"I'm gonna show them both that I have what it takes to be a top scarer." Mikey practically growled those words, his hands clenched tightly around his notebooks.

"You tell 'em, buddy."

The cross walk sign changed, signaling to go ahead for the two students to cross. Randall made his way over rather quickly, never meeting the gaze of any of the drivers lined up along the white line. Mikey soon followed, jogging to keep up with his slippery friend. "You afraid of crossing the road?" Mikey asked sarcastically.

"No, it's no that..." Randall mumbled. "I just don't like... most monsters."

"You were nice to me when we met!"

"Well, yea." Randal smiled. "You were my future roommate. I didn't have a choice if I wanted to be on good terms with my roomie."

"Ah, good point."

Randall laughed before motioning to the cafe with his head. "Come on. There's still some open seats."

As Mikey waited in line to make his order, Randall found them both a table by the window. He kept his eyes on the road outside, monster watching as various creeds and ages walked by the cafe. He didn't notice his friend's return right away.

"You not getting anything?"

"Not yet." Randall replied, placing his hands on the table. He laced them together before staring at Mike. The look on his face was serious, and Mikey made no joked as his friend spoke. "I've never told anyone this story before... I'm _trusting_ you, which is very hard for me."

"Why?" Mikey asked, genuinely curious. "We're pals!"

"You'll understand when I'm done." The reptile sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment - prepping himself. "You better get comfortable." Randall leaned back in his chair, his vision focused at Mikey's own. "This could take a while."


	9. Chapter 8

**First off, thank you guys so much for the amazing reviews and feedback. I am so _overwhelmed_ and _overjoyed_ at the responses and critiques. Thank you all so, _so_ much. I apologize for my updates being so slow lately. I had a bit of writer's block for the last few days. I seem to be good now, so I'm putting this one out. I hope it's just as good as the last few (I'm always worried about consistency).**

**This is a flash back: Randall is explaining how past experiences in high school affected him, molding him into who he is now.**

**It's very long, graphic, and there is vulgar language. This chapter may also have trigger warnings for anyone who was physically abused in school, so please be cautious and weary when reading.**

**Take your time and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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Richard A. Boggs, Randall's father, was a world renowned member of the scream energy industry. He owned several factories, and was the head executive of a sister company that ran alongside Monsters Inc. He made enough money for his family to be well off, never having a worry, or care about any insecurities or issues. Randall's mother could even send him to highly rated private schools, ensuring the best education for her son to be a top scarer. Because Richard A. Boggs owned so many businesses, he was often absent from his household, his son having to rely on his mother for most of his concerns. With no father figure, Randall's mother saw fit to dote on him, an action that he hardly enjoyed during middle school. Even so, the two of them grew closer to one another, especially after the events that would later take place within the Boggs' family.

All throughout his life, Randall's father sent him money, allowing him to purchase anything he wished. However, Randall didn't care much for money. Over the years, he'd watched greed corrupt his friends, as well as strangers - adults, who should be capable of control. They always had to have the hottest name brand clothing, or the newest mobile phone. He didn't care for these things, his mother taking notice. She began to make him homemade items, one example being a dark blue sweater with a purple 'R' embroidered onto the chest. She also took notice of his love for baking, seeing as she would often ask him for assistance in the kitchen. He was very good, and he seemed to enjoy it, so she bought him a multitude of supplies for him to hone in on his skills. Though he enjoyed these gifts, all he wanted was for his father to come home and spend time with him. Even if it was just for an hour. Richard Boggs had never taken his son to a ball game, a movie, or even to his place of work. He'd missed multiple birthdays and important events, such as Randall's first steps, his first time roller blading, and even his graduation from middle school. He didn't like missing these things, but he had no choice. He wanted to ensure that his family could live a happy, worry free life, even after retirement, and to do that he had to keep working. Sometimes, Randall felt as if the money his father would sent him was in place of himself, when, in truth, his father believed that it would make his son happy.

Randall attended many private schools growing up. He would sometimes have to switch due to the amount of bullying he dealt with. Because he never wore name brand clothes, his classmates would often tease him. Some assumed he did this because he thought he was better than they were, not having to purchase fancy clothes in order to get a name for himself, while others assumed him to be poor, only attending the school to be popular among the wealthy. Rather than asking him - talking to him - they decided to just assume and abuse him. After graduating from middle school, Randall told his mother no more. He didn't want to switch between schools any longer. Whatever high school she chose for him would be the school he would graduate from.

That was a decision he quickly regretted.

It only took a few days for students to catch on to Randall's avoidance of name brands, and they too assumed the same stereotype as his previous classmates. Immediately, the abuse began, starting with name calling, and soon moving on to physical actions. His unique ability also warranted some abuse, seeing as any sort of startling action would cause the reptile to fade into the background, leaving only his glasses and clothes visible - a monster who can't even hone his own skills, they would shout - and thus he earned the nickname Randall 'botch-it' Boggs. Due to the excessive amount of bullying, friendlier monsters avoided him, not wishing to share his fate. He never had friends, or anyone associated with him. Despite all of the negativity, Randall never saw the point in fighting back. "I'd be just like them." he would tell himself.

This mindset also changed... after his father passed away.

Due to an accident involving one of the many scare energy plants, Randall's father died, leaving his wife and son alone. After his father's death, Randall became a tad bit clingy to his family, deciding to wear the sweater that his mother made him to school, just to have a piece of her with him for comfort. While they were fine on money, his mother took it upon herself to get a small part-time job, just to make sure they stayed financially secure. Because of this, she started picking up Randall later and later from school, which, on this day, resulted into one of the worst days in the reptile's life. One that would weight heavily on his mind for years to come.

"Morning Boggs!" someone shouted. "Heard about your father. Looks like you really don't have money, because if you did, you could have paid to save him."

Their words hurt, like daggers through the flesh. Every word sending jolts of anger swelling throughout his brain. "Don't." he mumbled, pulling his books close to his chest. "They're trying to get a rise out of you."

"Is that why you wear raggedy clothes? You don't have any money now that daddy's gone?"  
"Maybe you killed him because he wouldn't give you a raise in your allowance?"  
"I bet he never loved you."

Over and over the insults came and went, each one worse than the last. He dared not look higher than the floor, for fear of meeting the gaze of his fellow classmates, their eyes boring into him as he passed by. He could hear them snickering, their hands hiding their upturned mouths. Other students darted away, unable to watch the abuse. And then, he heard a familiar voice.

"Yo! Botch-it Boggs!"

"Oh no..." Randall mumbled, his feet slowing to a stop.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"Shit." he cried, keeping his voice as low as he could. His eyes began to swell with tears, his body unable to turn and look at the monster standing a few feet behind him. He then felt a firm grip on his shoulder and braced himself, the monster's claws digging into his skin to turn him around. He thought for certain that this well known bully would send him crashing to the floor, but instead he spoke.

"Hey, I said I was talking to you. Didn't you hear me say your name?"

"Sorry, Butch." Randall stuttered, his eyes darting in every direction but the monster's eyes.

"Heard about your dad." he said, a wide grin on his face. "It was on the news."

Randall didn't respond, his knuckles white due to the grip he had around his notebooks.

"Sorry for your loss." Butch said.

Randall nodded, acknowledging the bullies' concerns. He knew that his words weren't sincere. In fact, he could hear the prideful hint behind his statement, that damned grin still on his face. He knew insults were coming, and he was not going to let them get to him. "Hey, Butch just said he's sorry." said one of the monster's 'helpers'. "You should say thank you." With that remark, the creature swung his arm and smacked the reptile across the back of his head, causing him to cry out between clenched lips. "Say thank you!" the monster ordered. When Randall didn't reply, the action was duplicated. "Say it!"

Randall's head hung low, his eyes threatening to spill over. "... thanks." he mumbled.

"There." said Butch. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

The reptile clenched his eyes shut, trying to keep himself calm. I should be used to this by now, he thought. They're not gonna do much more to me in front of the entire school. I just need to get away. He kept repeating these thoughts in his mind, trying to calm himself down - rationalize his thinking. Slowly he pulled his eyelids open, peering over his glasses at the tiled floor beneath him. His fellow classmates words were muffled, his mind concentrated on himself. He then looked up, taking notice of Butch, who was laughing alongside his posse.

He was distracted.

With a quick turn, Randall darted, gliding across the floor. If there was one thing the purple beast was good at, it was a speedy exit. Butch knew he wouldn't be able to keep up, and the lizard could hear him shouting down the hallway after him. He never could catch his prey when Randall ran off on him. Butch debated giving chase, but the bell rang, announcing the beginning of the school day. Randall was relieved to hear the principal's voice echo throughout the halls, ordering children to head to class, or risk getting detention.

He knew he was safe... for now. His enemies wouldn't be able to harm him during his classes. However, he knew lunch was inevitable, and Butch would have something planned for him. Luckily, the day went by as slow as a slug. He barely paid attention in any of his classes, the teacher's voice nothing but an inaudible droning in the back of his mind. His thoughts were racing - his day already bleak. He knew today wouldn't end on a good note, so he tried his best to come up with ways to avoid a negative outcome. No matter what he came up with, one thing constantly returned to his mind: what is my mother is late again?

To his dismay, lunch arrived right on schedule, and he made his way to the lunchroom. The large, open space was nothing but an orchestra of noise, filled to the brim with students. Some were playing instruments, and others were tossing a football back and forth. Most of them were talking amongst themselves and their cliques, no one taking notice of Randall as he took his seat. As usual, he brought his lunch. Past mishaps while waiting in line warranted this meal choice. He faced a lot less abuse on his own than he did standing among his peers. Still, Butch was nearby, sitting a few tables away, and Randall was well aware of this. His large eyes were focused on the slim reptile, his mouth whispering plans of attack to his pals. Eventually, Butch spoke, and the entire cafeteria fell silent.

"Oh Randall!" he cooed. "I don't believe we finished talking this morning."

Randall's head sunk low, his shoulders meeting height with his eyes. "There's nothing to talk about, Butch." Randall mumbled.

"What was that? I didn't hear you clearly."

Randall clenched his mouth shut. He was letting his mind get the better of him, allowing Butch to anger him. Shut up, he kept thinking, repeating the order over and over in his mind.

"Come on Boggs, grow some horns!" he shouted. "You fought back for a minute there! Wait a sec, I got it..." The monster laughed - low, bellowing, and sinister - as a dark thought crossed his mind. He pushed himself away from the table, his chair scraping across the floor. "I know... I'll be the one to make a real monster out of you." He stood from his chair, stretching his arms wide, as if he were asking for a hug._ "I'll_ be your _new_ father."

He then lowered his limbs. With a cocky grin, he spoke the insensitive idea he had concocted. "I'm sure your old hag of a mother is in need of a _real_ monster, now that she's all alone in that _big_ house of yours."

Randall's eyes shot wide in shock, completely dumbfounded at Butch's statement. Did he really just say that? Surely he wasn't that inconsiderate? Then again, this was Butch, a monster banned from several schools due to his temper and the actions that resulted from it. He said it, and he meant it. Though Randall knew it was a bad idea, that statement was truly the last straw. He'd dealt with plenty of degrading insults from Butch, but his mother had never done anything to deserve such negative words. Especially after the death of her husband!

Randall's eyes pursed into a harsh glare, magnified behind his thick glasses. "What did you say?" he asked, pushing his seat back in order to stand.

"Oh, looks like I struck a nerve." Butch replied, his smile faltering for a moment as he stammered back towards his seat.

"I'll fucking murder you..." Randall mumbled. Butch then took his seat, his smile completely faded as he took in the beast's harsh gaze. In an instant, Randall used his blending skills to render himself invisible, crawling his way over to Butch's table unnoticed. He walked around his foe, stalking him like a vulture. "You know something, Butch?" Randall began, his hands clasped behind his back. "You've said a lot of shit to me over the years... treated me like dirt." He paused behind him, staring down at the floor. "And for what?" He turned and looked at the back of Butch's skull, his eyes boring with heated rage. "Who are you, Butch? What are you to your family - your friends? None of them care about you. You're a failure - a mentally unstable handicap. They're afraid of you, and fear wont get you far in the real world."

He wandered over to one of Butch's lackey's, shoving him hard enough to knock him out of his chair. As he fell to the floor, Randall gained a bit more confidence, realizing that he had a lot more control that he realized. "What are you gonna do? You can't see me!" He was practically shouting into their ears, saliva flying from his lips. He felt empowered- invincible. Why didn't I do this sooner, he thought. The other members of the gang began to feel around, asking each other where they thought Randall was. He snickered, causing them to flinch. He decided to play along, sneaking behind each of them and whispering "I'm over here" before switching to another location.

He then decided to take it a step further after seeing Butch's face. He seemed worried - maybe even scared. He sauntered over to him and whispered in his ear, "My family could buy out your family, you know. I heard about that lawsuit against your mother. How much money did you loose?" Butch's family was also wealthy. One of the wealthiest in Monstropolis, to be exact. But, his parents were crooked dealers - just like their son - and had delved too deep into the underground scene, resulting in a large sum of money being lost due to federal charges made against the family. Butch seemed ashamed, his eyes glued to the table in front of him. How embarrassed he was the day that story hit the news. Every little thing set him off, eventually resulting in him being sent home for the day. "Aww, did I strike a _nerve_?" Randall practically spat the words at him, his teeth revealed behind drawn back lips. He then pressed a hand against Butch and shoved him. Butch's look of shame faded into one of irritation. No monster had ever touched Butch like that before, and most of the students couldn't believe that Randall had been the first one to do it. "What? What are you gonna do? You can't see me!" he shouted.

Butch's anger was growing, his entire face turning red. "Aww, what's wrong?" Randall laughed, throwing his head back as he did so. "Did I make you upset?! Well, be upset! There's nothing you can do because_ you can't find_ me!" Every student's eyes were on Butch, looks of concern and worry dotting every eye and mouth facing the direction of the performance before them. But, they weren't looking at Butch. They were looking past him...

... at Randall.

"I can fucking see you." Butch growled.

Several students looked away, shaking their heads, while others couldn't look away. The reptile was confused, pursing his brows. "What?"

"Say, that's a nice sweat your mother made you. What is it, wool? Home spun spider silk?" Suddenly, realization set in, and Randall's eyes traveled down to his chest where his mother's sweater, bright and bold, sat beautifully...

...completely visible to his classmates.

He then reach up and touched his glasses, his hand shaking on impact. They could see him... that entire time. They could see him! They were pretending to be oblivious. His body shook as he back away, cowering from what was to come. The beast stood, glaring daggers at the pathetic monster before him. The reptile backed away, his spine arching closer and closer to the ground until his belly was scraping across the cold floor. Butch followed Randall, slowly, watching him squirm away in fear, until his back hit a wall. His goons joined him, blocking him in on every side to prevent an escape. Butch then knelt down, Randall's disguise fading, revealing his sunken features and lightened skin. Butch reached a hand to Randall's shoulder and brushed it against his sweater.

"Let me get a closer look at it..."

He then gripped it tightly and pulled, the seam ripping and tearing, until the entire sleeve flew off. It hovered over their heads, for a moment, until it gently floated down to the tiled floor, landing in an unkempt heap. Randall stared at the fabric, his eyes overflowing with tears. "Aww, don't be upset." Butch said, gripping Randall's chin in his hand. He turned the lizard's face to meet his own, smiling grimly. "I'm sure she can fix it."

A stream of liquid fell from Randall's eyes just as the bell rang. "Luck seems to be favoring you today, Boggs." Butch growled, standing up. Lunch was over, and his inevitable doom was postponed for the time being.

Several students hesitated as they walked by, seeming to want to help Randall, but fearing what Butch may do to them. Others darted past, not making eye contact. Some even mumbled about wanting to hurt Butch, but soon quieted down when looks of warning met their gaze. Overall, no one stopped, leaving Randall to sulk in his own misery until most of the students had migrated on. He then stood, pulling himself up with shaking hands. The adrenaline from the events that had taken place was still surging inside of him. He didn't know what to do, what to think... all he knew was that Butch as out for blood now.

I insulted his family, he thought to himself. Why didn't I check to make certain that I was invisible? What is wrong with me... With a sigh he mumbled, "I really do botch everything up..."

The bell rang once again, Randall having to force himself to class. As he waked down the hall, no one met eyes with him, and he returned the favor. He glanced over his shoulder throughout the day, for fear of an attack from Butch's gang, but nothing came... and the day went on. Randall remained unfocused throughout most of his classes, his eyes glazed over as his mind zoned out and away from the world around him. In his mind, he prepared himself for an impending doom that was soon to meet him. If she's on time, maybe I can get to my mom's car before anything happens, he thought, trying to reassure himself. Then, his phone vibrated. With a heavy heart, he removed it from his sweater, making certain that the teacher didn't see him. He knew what the message was going to say, but part of him hoped he was wrong. When he opened it, and read over the message, his heart sunk. He'd been right...

_"Going to be late again. Rlly sorry hun! I'll be there asap. I 3 u!"_

"I'm fucked..." he mumbled.

Eventually, the school day came to and end, and Randall made his way to the back exit where students, whose parents were coming to pick them up, were to wait. Towards the front of the school was student parking, for monsters who drove themselves to school. For the first hour, everything was fine. Both exits were packed to the brim with monsters, the traffic causing all kinds of problems for parents and students alike. During his wait, Randall check his phone several times, hoping that his mom would have sent him another text saying that she was on her way. Sadly, none came. Eventually, the numbers began to dwindle until Randall sat alone on the sidewalk, his eyes staring at the sun setting in the horizon. He glanced at his phone once more, the time reading 6:00PM on the dot.

"What's taking her so long?" he asked himself. "She's never been this late..."

Hesitantly, he glanced around for Butch, relieved when he saw nothing. Still, there was this odd feeling in his gut, as if he knew better than to think that the monster had gone home with the rest of the school. He had more than likely been watching Randall, keeping an eye on his prize. As he thought this, he noticed several cars still parked up front. Butch was definitely here.

After a few more minutes, that sinking feeling becoming more and more prominent in his stomach, Randall heard the sound of leaves being crushed. A group of monsters were heading his way, and he knew who they were. Complete and utter horror swelled in the lizard's gut, his body frozen in fear. He'd been preparing himself all day, but now that the time had come, he could no longer control his emotions. He listened intently, not daring to turn around. He could hear - feel - himself being surrounded on all sides. He couldn't run away.

"Hello, Boggs."

Randall didn't respond, his vision remaining focused on the sunset. Butch had been planning this throughout the day. He wanted to teach Randall a lesson, and this lesson wasn't going to end on a light note. He wanted blood, and deep down... Randall knew it.

"Go for it." said Butch, pulling a cigarette from his pocket.

In a flash, Randall was on the ground. His vision straining to focus as a crimson liquid trickled down into his eyes. Blood, he thought. Before he could turn and look at his attacker, he was struck again. His vision was sent into darkness, painful white particles spraying across the blackness like a million fireflies. The pain he felt was hot and uncomfortable, accompanied by a sticky, wet sensation. He reached up to his mouth and was greeted again by his own blood, his gums pulsating furiously. Once more, he tried to meet eyes with his attacker, but another punch was sent into his skull, causing his glasses to fly off of his face. He heard them hit the ground, the glass shattering across the sidewalk. With his vision now blurred, Randall gave up trying to plead - trying to beg. It wouldn't matter anyway...

He could barely hear Butch laughing, the foul stench of cigarette smoke wafting into the air. The monster would have them pound away until nothing was left of the meek reptile. On and on they went for what felt like hours, when it had only been minutes. Eventually, the pain went away, resulting in an odd numbing sensation flaring throughout his tender body. Then, they ceased their attacks. Randall, through muffled hearing, was uncertain as to whether or not it was Butch who told them to stop, or a teacher. Either way, he didn't care. He was just relieved that the abuse was over, for the moment.

"Butch, that's enough. We should stop." said one of the lackeys at fault.

"Why? I've seen you do worse than this." the monster laughed, stepping over to Randall. He sent a quick kick into the snake's stomach, his forked tongue spilling out onto the concrete.

"Yeah, to someone deserving. Randall hasn't done anything to warrant this!"

A few of the other members of Butch's posse agreed, shifting their gaze to the ground. The concrete was splattered with blood. More than the gang had realized. One glanced to his fist, also covered in blood. He rubbed them furiously on his jacket, realizing - too late - what he'd done. Another seemed nauseous, turning away to face a bush should his stomach decide to evacuate itself.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Butch's anger was rising, his confusion reflected in his eyes. "You've never questioned me before."

"We've never hurt an innocent monster before."

"Innocent?!" Butch screamed. "Didn't you hear what he said to me? How he treated you guys?"

"Honestly..." replied the monster who first spoke up. "I feel like I deserved it now. Especially after _this_..." He motioned with his head to the heap of meat on the ground. Randall's face was covered in a mixture of tears, dirt, and blood, each liquid and particle drying against the dry air, seeming to hover all around him.

With a look of disgust, Butch spoke. "You're nothin' but a bunch of pussies." He then pulled his cigarette out from his mouth and pressed the lit end onto Randall's back. To his disappointment, the reptile was silent, his scaled body accustomed to heat. None of Butch's 'friends' seemed to mind the insult he'd given them, their features never once faltering. "We're done, Butch. No more." they stated.

"Alright, alright..." Butch sighed, pinching his forehead with his claws. "Just... put him in the bike rack and we're done."

"Butch..." said the same monster. "I said we're done."

"I know, and I swear this is all you guys have to do. After that, we'll go."

The monster seemed to have his doubts, but he reluctantly obliged. The group of monsters lifted Randall up off the ground, the reptile groaning in pain from the sudden movement. Slowly they wrapped him around the bike rack, twisting his body in ways no normal monster could (unless they were reptilian as well). With the placement and angles executed, Randall was immobile. Despite being uncomfortable, the cool metal felt wonderful against his burning skin.

"Alright... we're done."

"Excellent." replied Butch, a dark hint in his tone. "Go wait by the car. I'll be there in a moment."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm just going to talk to him."

Once more, the disobedient monster doubted his leader's words, his eyes thinning to slits as he judged Butch's intentions. He thought it over, deducing that Butch had no weapons, and the worst he could do was punch... right? With a low growl, the monster forced himself away, the others following in suit.

Butch approached his victim with a prideful grin. He grabbed a nearby branch left on the ground, allowing the limb to scrape across the ground as he walked. He stopped in front of the defenseless monster and readied his weapon. "I'm going to make sure you remember who you're dealing with." With a quick swing, Butch whacked Randall on the back, causing him to scream. Butch then saw his next target: a part of the reptile's body was resting on top of the metal bars. With a dark laugh, he swung again, this time causing Randall's skin to break. With another scream, Randall bit his lip, trying to force back his tears as the pain jolted through his body. He tried to speak - tried to plead - but he couldn't form any words. He'd never felt so much nauseating pain in all of his life. With one last strike, Butch threw the stick down onto Randall's head, sending his world into darkness.

The bulky monster stood there, panting as the rush of adrenaline left him. He wiped his brow, his nerves beginning to take root as he looked at the damage he'd done. His heart sunk when he saw the security camera, which had recorded everything. He knew he was in trouble, but for now he pretended to enjoy himself, laughing loudly - milking it. Though he couldn't see, Randall heard the hesitation in his attacker's voice. "See you tomorrow, _botch-it _Boggs."he snickered, turning away.

As Butch left, his laughter echoing throughout the awning above the two of them, Randall's vision returned. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, the environment around him swirling furiously. With a loud groan, Randal unwound his tail, the thin ligament aching and sore as it moved. Once most of the appendage was free, he moved on to his upper body, which was eerily stained with blood. It was like a scene from a horror movie. As his groans traveling throughout the space around him, no one came to his rescue. No one heard him. No one helped him. By the time his mother showed up, only his middle was left in the iron rack. "Randall!" she called, not realizing the state her baby was in. He couldn't call out, his throat swelling, and gurgling with blood. Eventually, worry set in. "Randall?" He wasn't responding.

She got out of her car and rushed over to the walkway. When her eyes fell onto Randall, she screamed. With shaking hands, she fell to her knees, her eyes streaming with tears. "Wh-What did they... oh my..." She was becoming hysterical, her own throat closing from the horrific scene in front of her. Randall tried to calm her by extending his hand, but it only resulted in more pain for himself. She reached into her pockets and dialed an ambulance. It took a moment for her to be able to speak, but she eventually said what was needed, and an ambulance arrived within minutes.

Due to the security camera, as well as his 'friends', Butch was quickly caught and sent away to another school, leaving Randall to focus on his studies. Ever since then, Randall avoided everyone. He didn't trust, he didn't talk, and he didn't make eye contact. Though students tried, he never allowed anyone to get close to him, for fear of the past repeating itself. Though his wounds healed, what Butch had done left behind some nasty scars, not only on Randall's body, but on his mind.

Turning in his chair, Randall showed Mikey the scar across his back. "That's where the stick hit me." Unless you were looking for it, you wouldn't have seen the scar. It blended well with his skin. Still, the memory was there, and Randall had never forgotten. He had been able to recall every detail, leaving Mikey in a silent induced shock. He didn't know what to say other than, "I'm so sorry..." His eyes were glossy. He'd been crying throughout most of the story, his cheeks stained with dried tears.

Randall had taken notice of this throughout his retelling, and was honestly surprised to see someone crying for him. "It's fine, Mikey. That was a long time ago." He smiled to himself, happy to see that his story had touched Mikey so strongly. He hadn't expected much of a reaction from the little guy, but it was obvious to him now: Mikey cared about him, and he felt the same way.

"I'm glad I told you." Randall mumbled.

"I'm am too, Randy." Mike replied. He reached up and wiped his eye with his hand, glancing down at his plate. "I don't think I can finish this now, haha."

"I'm happily take it from you." Randall replied. He reached over the table to take the sandwich, causing an amused chuckle to leave his friend's throat.

"Ready to head back?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah." Randall replied. He took the remaining piece of the sandwich and ate it in one bite. Having a wide mouth had it's advantages. As the two friends stood, gathered their things, and exited the cafe, Mikey decided to share a few of his own stories. Randall listened intently, making sure to help the little guy avoid obstacles whenever he got passionate during his retelling. Randall had never met another monster who had dealt with similar actions during school. Mikey was so open, so kind, and (as a bonus) funny. How could he have been picked on? Even so, he was overjoyed that this was his roommate, and he hoped they would stay friends for years to come.

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**EDIT (7/18-2013) : Next chapter will be up this weekend! So sorry for the wait.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the wait!**

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By the time the two monsters returned to the campus grounds, it was just about nightfall. The sky was painted in warm shades of red, orange, and yellow, casting a warm glow with what little daylight remained. Most of the students and faculty were elsewhere, the pathways and sidewalks leading to the various classes and buildings barren, aside from an occasional jogger or two. The two friends walked slowly, Randall listening intently to Mikey's own tales of woe. Despite some of them being uncomfortably horrific, the little one eyed creature was able to lighten the mood with his goofy demeanor, keeping both of them in good spirits. Mikey had just finished his last story when they arrived at the dormitories. The sound of music and chatter cascaded down the halls, blaring out of the front entrance, as if the dorms were some sort of club.

"What's going on?" Mikey asked out loud. He wasn't really expecting an answer, seeing as Randall was just as confused as he was. Both were pretty certain that they knew what was going on, and both of them were hoping they were wrong. Parties made both monsters uncomfortable, but no one more so than Mikey. The two of them slowly made their way inside, completely wide-eyed at just how crowded it really was. "Is there some sort of party?" Randall inquired nervously.

"I hope not..." Mikey whispered in response.

One of the students, standing in the hallway with a plastic, red cup in his hand, responded, "Heck yeah, man. Real good party too!" He was completely wasted.

"Oh dear..." Mikey mumbled, his gaze lowering to the ground. "Let's get back to our room."

It took some manuevering, but the two of them soon made their way through the crowd of loud, sweaty beasts, arriving in front of their designated sleeping quarters. Mikey fumbled through his things, trying to locate the key as quickly as he could. "Hurry..." Randall mumbled, keeping his eyes on the doorknob. "Anyone from Frat Row could be here."

"Don't you think I know that?" Mikey shouted quietly. His eye then widened when his hand brushed against something metallic. He gripped it, overjoyed to have found the item he'd been hunting for. "Aha!" He quickly shoved the key into the slot, turned it, and opened the door, the two of them shoving one another to get inside before anyone noticed. Randall was the one to close the door behind them, locking it right as a drunken aquatic student, who had lost his balance, slammed against it. The sound startled the lizard, his spines standing straight, his eyes wide, and a hand pressed roughly against his chest. With a sigh of relief, the reptile sauntered over to his bed and sat on the side.

"That was a close one." Mikey panted. He was resting at his desk, his chair turned to face Randall. "I did not want to deal with any RΩR brutes."

"I was just worried that Sullivan was here." Randall replied. "Something about that guy just _irks_ me..."

"I know what you mean, pal."

"So, what happened to you to make you hate parties so much?" Randall inquired.

"Oh, nothin'... it's not parties that I don't like... it's alcohol."

"Is that why you were so against me leaving for Frat Row the other day?" Randall asked, a saddened expressing drawing onto his face. "I don't drink, you know."

"Well, I know now. I was afraid that I was going to get a roommate who would constantly stay out late, and them come back here completely trashed. I know you're not like that. I didn't think you were the other day, either! I was just..."

"You were worried." Randall said, finishing Mike's thoughts for him. "It's okay, man. It's not a crime to worry about things like that." Randall smiled reassuringly. "Now we both know that we can trust our roommie, right?"

"Yea." Mikey chuckled, returning a smile to his friend before turning away. He walked over to one of the windows in their room - the back one- and proceeded to try and open it. "Kinda stinks in here, don't it?" he asked, his back still turned to Randall.

"A bit, yea."

Though the room had been closed off for the day, the smell of alcohol and sweat was seeping through the small opening underneath the doorway. Mikey groaned as he struggled to open the window. Eventually, it came loose, and flew up quicker than his arms could follow. With an awkward laugh, he turned to Randall. "Got it."

The lizard shook his head before getting up. He wandered over to his own desk and sighed when his eyes fell on his homework assignment. "Oh yea..." he mumbled. "The essay."

"You need any help?"

"Nah, I got it. It's just..." he said, pausing to sigh before continuing. " I hate starting essays. It always takes me a while."

"Try starting towards the middle and work you way back. That usually helps me when I'm in a rut."

"Hm..." Randall mumbled, unsure of what Mikey meant. He'd never heard of starting anything from the middle,onwards. He took his seat, his third pair of legs resting on the chair, while the last pair lay curled up on the floor. His lips turned down in irritation as he focused on the blank pages before him. He then glanced to his itinerary just as Mikey spoke.

"It must be awkward to work like that." Mike said, gesturing to Randy's body with his eye.

"Hm?" Randall mumbled. His eyes followed Mikey's gaze down the his body, contorted strangely against the floor and chair. "Oh." he chuckled. "Nah, not really. Comes with having a long torso."

"You're not uncomfortable?"

"Nah, I've gotten used to it. I can never find the perfect chair for me to sit in." he chuckled. With another sigh, his eyes traced back over his instructions. "I'm gonna start working on this now. I'll let you know if I need any help."

"No problem, buddy." Mikey responded quietly. He returned to his seat in silence, making certain that even his own footsteps were tolerable for the busy monster across the room. Even though Mike had completed the assignment hours ago, he decided to study up on some other things. He grabbed a pen and some paper, and then reached down to the floor where several scaring technique books rested, and brought one up to his table. Both students were written learners, meaning that they each had to write down the information in order to remember it. As the night dragged on, the two of them wrote, read, and wrote some more. Eventually, the two of them managed to maneuver to the floor, where they sat next to one another, quizzing back and forth, and aiding one another whenever questions arose.

Eventually, the party outside died down and faded into a still silence. Crickets chirped from outside their window, lulling the exhausted lizard beside Wazowski into a deep sleep. Mikey dared not move him. Not because he feared a grumpy awakening from the snoozing beast, but because he could see his exhaustion clearly darkening the skin under his gently closed eyes. "You didn't sleep well last night, did ya, buddy?" he asked quietly.

He decided to study a little while longer, just to give Randall enough time to sleep comfortably before having to be moved to his bed. Eventually, the little one eyed ball couldn't keep his owneye open, and he too crashed on the floor. He awoke a few hours later to find that Randall had curled himself around him. His body was warm against Mikey's back, and he thought about going right back to sleep. However, certain areas of his body were numb from the hard floor, do he decided to wake his friend up.

"Hey." he whispered, placing a hand on Randall's shoulder. "Wake up." He shook him gently, trying to ease him awake. "Randall, it's nearly four in the morning. You should sleep in your bed. You wanna be cold on the floor all night?"

With a slight growl, Randall sat up. He rubbed his eyes, still hanging half closed. He was barely conscious, his torso wobbling from side to side. "Over here." Mike chuckled, proceeding to lead the reptile over to his bed. Randall crawled in as soon as the structure was in his sights, his body moving like a drunken snake. Mike let out another laugh before crawling into his own bed. "Night, pal."

The two of them soon fell asleep, their minds locked away in a deep slumber. So deep, in fact, that they didn't hear the door to their room open. Quiet snickers echoed through the small entryway as delicate footsteps made their way inside. One pair of feet was much heavier than the others, strands of blue hair falling to the floor wherever they traveled.

"Set it up over there." came a voice, one familiar to the slumbering duo. Neither awoke, but the intruders voice did echo within their dreams. Mikey reacted silently, his brow pursing as his mind thought over that voice, while Randall lifted his lips to reveal his sharpened teeth.

"They're waking up!" another unwelcome guest whispered.

"Hurry then!"

Quickly the intruders finished their evil task and quietly filed one by one out of the small room. The last was the heavy footed one, who carefully shut the door behind him, being extremely cautious with his movements and speed, for fear of activating the device too soon. With a low chuckle, he knocked on the door and waited, his friends following suit. With a groan, Mikey awoke, not taking notice of the contraption hanging delicately above the doorway, as well Randall's bed. With a loud moan he shouted, "Go away!"

So, the stranger knocked again - this time much harder - causing Randall to awaken as well. "Who is it?" the purple monster asked.

"I'll go see." Mikey grumbled, his mind thinking of various phrases he would like to say to whoever awaited him behind that door. Then, he had a thought. He'd dreamed about Sullivan moments ago, swearing to himself that he heard his annoying voice, and wondered if this was some dumb prank the blue beast was pulling to make the duo exhausted for school tomorrow. "I swear, Sullivan, if it's you who's waking me up at five in the morning, I am going to-" He gripped the handle tightly and pulled the door open with one swift movement. To his utter disappointment, his words had been proven true. Sullivan stood in the doorway with a wide, proud smile on his face. Before Mikey could even ask what that was about, a cold, slimy substance spilled onto him and covered him from head to toe.

The same occurred in the dorm room, cascading Randall and his bed in a nasty coat of grime. From the hallway, the group of miscreants laughed, some even falling to the floor from the sheer amount of amusement they were getting out of this. Randall called out, frantically leaping out of his bed and onto the floor. He hunted for a towel and found nothing. With a groan, he grabbed the small rug at the foot of his bed and began to wipe himself off. The sound of his friend's panic only enraged the tiny creature more. Mikey remained stationary, the slime slowly washing over him and onto the floor. Eventually, it left his face, and he was able to speak.

"You think this is funny, do you?" Mikey asked.

The group before him fell silent. Sullivan looked at him with pity, about to respond. "That was a rhetorical question, Sullivan." Mikey growled. "You really are a disappointment. If you have nothing better to do than torture my roommate and I, then you really are a worthless piece of a monster. Being a scarer is not about who pranks who better, who looks the most terrifying, or even who gets the best grades. Until you figure out what it means to be a top scarer... you're no threat to me."

Sullivan's face wilted into shock, his eyes unable to meet Mikey's own. "Go back to your frat house. I've got a mess to take care of." He then slammed the door in the blue beast's face, being sure to lock it behind him. He waited by the door, being certain that the group would leave. Eventually, he heard footsteps, and the monsters filed out of the dormitories in silence. With a sigh, Mikey rubbed his forehead.

"You alright, pal?" he mumbled.

No response came. "Randall?" He looked up and saw his friend. He was standing completely still in the middle of the room. He'd been successful in his task, his body clean of any slime residue. The same could not be said for his bed, which he stared at blankly. From where he stood, Mikey could not see Randall's eyes. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the promising scarer before him was in shambles. It could have been his exhaustion, or the fact that he felt as if he were reliving his years in school, but no matter the case... Randall was falling apart.

"Randall, it's alright. I'll help you clean everything up."

The reptile didn't respond. He just continued to stare at his bed as his eyes overflowed with tears. "Randy, Randy, it's okay!" Mikey looked around for anything that could cheer him up. For some reason, his eyes fell onto Randall's glasses. He rushed over to his friend's desk and grabbed them. He then returned to the reptilian monster's side and handed them to him. Randall's gaze fell onto Mikey, and then the item being shoved in his direction. With confusion, he took them, holding the pair of specs in front of himself. Droplets from his eyes hit the lenses, causing some slight smudging.

Mikey, unsure of what to do, placed his hands on Randall's back. "Don't cry, buddy. Forget about those jerks!"

"I should just go home." Randall quickly responded.

"Whoa, that's out of the blue. Where did that come from?" Mikey maneuvered himself in front of Randall, trying to meet eyes with him.

"I'm not cut out for this, Mikey. Look... one simple prank and I'm in shambles." Randall's gaze drifted through his glasses, the lenses giving him some vision to the floor below. He couldn't look his friend in the eyes as embarrassment and shame took over him, causing his body to contort downward.

"We just have to get your confidence up, that's all!"

Randall shook his head as his body drifted closer and closer to the floor. Eventually, he was sitting down, still gripping his glasses in his dominant hands. Mikey sat beside him and sighed. "Randall, you are going to be an amazing scarer." The reptile scoffed. "I'm serious! You've got a great talent and those jerks know it! Don't let them get you down. You're sensitive, and they know it, but that's not a bad thing. I'll work with you and help you gain some confidence. Then, when the final exam arrives, you'll beat everyone!"

Randall dared a glance at Mikey. "You really think so?"

"I know so, buddy." he said, smiling. He then placed his hand on Randall's back and gave his skin a few pats of comfort.

Slowly, the snake's body straightened up. "Why'd you give me these?" he asked.

Mikey giggled awkwardly. "I... I don't really know. I guess they reminded me of the real you and I thought you needed a reminder...?"

"But, you told me I should loose them."

"When scaring, Randy! Not every day."

"Oh..." he responded, sounding as if he'd made a mistake.

Mikey laughed. "No wonder you've been so miserable." Randall blushed, embarrassed that he'd taken Mikey's words so literally. "Do what makes you comfortable, okay?"

Randall smiled shyly before nodding. He decided that he would keep them on him, in case he needed them to see something far off, or important. "Now, let's get this mess cleaned up." Mikey grumbled as he pushed himself up off of the floor. Randall soon followed. As the two of them grabbed his comforter, sheets, and pillows, Mikey's alarm clock chimed six. "We're not gonna get any sleep." he whispered, glancing back at the ticking time bomb. "Come on! Let's try and finish before dawn."

The two of them maneuvered their way out of the room, and down the hall towards the wash room. The barren walkway was littered with cups and streamers - leftovers from the night's escapades.

"Some party." Randall muttered.


	11. Chapter 10

The duo reluctantly slumped out of their room, their eyes heavy with exhaustion. Neither had managed to get any rest due to last nights escapade. They'd managed to clean Randall's bed sheets, but the load wouldn't finish until morning. Without a comfortable palette to sleep on, Randall had to stay awake. Mikey, not wanting to be unfair, stayed awake with him. By the time the washing machine announced that it's task was complete, the sun was up, and the students within the dormitory were hustling and bustling into their morning classes. Both of the weary monsters had a class in the School of Scaring at ten. Mikey glanced at his alarm clock, which read eight, and groaned. There was no possible way for them to get any amount of rest before class began. They had two hours to spare - two hours to try and wake up.

"I know you hate coffee..." Mikey began. His hand was delicately wrapped around the handle of a mug, the heavy, ceramic cup daring to fall at any moment. "But I made you some."

"No... I need it." Randall replied. He reached out and grabbed the hot surface. He winced, but held onto it anyway. With a quick intake of breath, he brought the scolding hot cup to his lips and quickly downed a good three gulps of the volcanic, murky substance, which he quickly regretted. He cried out in pain as he finished, pursing his lips together to contain the sound.

Mikey stared at him in shock. Randall handed him the mug, still half full, and Mikey took it, never once looking away from his friend. "Why did you do that?" he asked.

"No idea." Randall replied. "But I'm awake now..."

Mikey stared into the mug, now half full, and gulped as he mind pondered over what he should do. He had yet to have any caffeine himself, and he knew that, if he made another mug, it wouldn't be finished by the time class started. He quickly mimicked his friend's actions, slurping down the rest of the molten coffee, which he too regretted; possibly more than Randall. He let out a yelp, dropping the mug so that his hands could reach up and cover his mouth. Randall reacted quickly and darted underneath Mikey, catching the cup in one of his many hands. As Mikey stuck out his tongue, trying to let the cool, morning air calm the pulsating muscle, Randall stood and handed him the mug. "Careful." he mumbled. Mikey took it and nodded, letting out a high pitched, "Uh huh!"

As the little green ball made his way to the cafeteria - to return the mug - Randall made his way outside, waiting near a bench for his friend to emerge from the crowded building. Eventually, he spotted the little fellow, and the two of them slowly made their way down the campus grounds. As they walked they ignored any passerby that made eye contact with them. They were quite the sight to their fellow classmates: Both of them had deep, dark bags under their eyes, and shaking hands from the coffee they'd been drinking; as well as their lack of sleep. They seemed as if they were crazy, Mikey twitching every now and then, and Randall's body twisted and contorted in all sorts of different ways.

It was quite the joyful sight to Sullivan, who was practically bouncing up and down from the mere sight of his handiwork, and the results that had come with it. James and his buddies were perched on the staircase leading into the School of Scaring, eagerly awaiting their victim's arrival. The group laughed as soon as the duo came into view, though Sullivan was the first to speak up.

"So!" he began. "Didja manage to get enough rest last night, guys?" His last words shook as he tried to hold back a snicker, his throat daring to emit an enormous, hearty laugh. Try as he might, he could no longer hold it in. "I'm sorry!" He wrapped a hand around his gut and knelt over, laughing into the walkway beneath him. "No, you know what, I'm not." he said, finishing his joyful outburst by wiping his eyes. "No, because... you threatened me last night." He jabbed a clawed finger in Mikey's direction.

Randall looked to his friend in surprise. He hadn't expected the little ball to be so tough. Then again, he'd done it once before. Maybe he could learn a thing or two from the little guy. Mikey stared back in irritation, his brow trying to purse into a glare with no success. He was far too exhausted.

"This just proves that you're no threat to me. Neither of you are! You can't even handle a little, harmless prank."

Randall, somewhat better off than Mikey, was able to send daggers in Sullivan's direction, his hands gripping tightly against his notebooks.

"I had my worries with you." he said, nodding his head at Randall. Randall's gaze softened. "Not anymore. You're just as pathetic as he is." Sullivan motioned his head towards Mikey, his gaze following suit. Randall appeared dejected.

"Don't listen to him, Randy." Mikey began.

"Randy?" Sullivan laughed.

"Hey! Listen, you tub of lard, I'm talking to _you_. Leave Randy out of this for a second. Your beef is with me, _not him_." Mikey looked over his shoulder at Randall. "Don't listen to him." he spoke softly, trying to stay quiet. "He knows we're a threat; knows that you're a threat. Don't let him bring you down. That's what he wants. Show him how amazing you are!"

Randall seemed more at ease with Mikey's words. Something about that little guy, and his skills of encouragement, just made the reptilian monster want to work even harder. He gave Mike a nod to assure him that he was fine. With that reassurance, Mikey began walking forward, his gaze remaining focused on the classroom doors. Randall followed suit. As the reptile passed Sullivan, he turned around to speak.

"See you in class." he said, winking an eye. A devilish smirk played onto his face as he turned away, dashing to catch up with Mikey just as the bell chimed nine.  
As the doors closed behind them, the two let out a deep sigh, pressing their backs against the wooden structure. "Man I was really hoping NOT to see him today..." Mikey exclaimed. He began to walk forward, a hand pressed to his forehead.

"Well, you know he has this class." Randall replied, following the tiny creature.

"I figured he was the type who would skip." he replied angrily, flailing his hand into the air, before pressing it back against his scalp.

"Good point." Randall muttered. "Well, we got past him. Now what? There's still an hour left before class."

"Now..." Mikey began. "We get a head start."

"Huh?"

"We get to class early and study."

"Study?!" Randall shouted, his pace slowing to a halt. "Didn't we do enough of that last night?"

"I know, I know, it's a lot of work, but trust me. I'm gonna help you. We'll quiz one another."

"Mikey, my brain is... not in good shape right now."

"I know." he sighed. "I'm tired too. Just... just trust me. If it's too much, we'll stop."

Randall seemed hesitant, but he eventually gave in, letting out a deep sigh to reflect his surrender. Mikey smiled wide and wrapped a hand around Randall's back. "You'll see!" he exclaimed. "When I'm through with you, children are gonna run in terror from you, both human and monster."

"I highly doubt that." Randall replied, pushing the classroom doors open with his free hand.

"Have some confidence!" Mikey shouted, following behind his slippery friend.

As the two made their way down the steps into the classroom, an eerie feeling washed over them. The room was dark, the curtains drawn together to prevent any light from shinning through. Every seat was empty, including the teacher's own, causing a strange, haunting theme to the already uncomfortable room. The bust of Dean Heardscrabble watched them silently from her perch, her scare record safely kept beside her. With a gulp, Randall lowered himself to the floor. In one quick movement, he was off, arriving in front of the curtains in mere seconds. He drew them back, the sun lighting up the room quicker than either of their eyes could prepare, both of them squinting to see from the sudden change in brightness. Randall then walked back, the room now much more inviting than it had been moments ago.

"Well..." Mikey began. "Shall we get started?"

"I guess so." Randall replied. He set his books down on an empty desk. "Where do we start?"

"Well, I'm going to quiz you on some scaring tactics." Mike replied. He set his books down and began to fish through them, eventually settling on a rather large novel entitled _Scares and Scare Tactics_. He flipped it open to a random page and began reading.

"You're face to face with a six year old girl who is afraid of spiders." Mikey looked over the edge of the book at Randall's eyes, which were filled with worry. He was already at a loss for the answer. "What scare tactic do you use?"

"Ahh...uh..." Randall stuttered, glancing around for any hints. He knew he wouldn't find any, seeing as the classroom was barren of anything, but he could not meet eyes with Mikey out of pure guilt. All of that studying and I remember none of it, he thought. He closed with eyes with a sigh, gently opening one as he muttered, "Pass...?"

Mikey growled and slammed his book closed, setting it down on the desk beside him. "What were you doing last night?!"

"I was studying." Randall began, sounding defensive.

"Studying what?!"

"Scaring tactics..." His head ducked, his shoulders meeting height with his chin. His eyes danced around, viewing everything other than Wazowski.

"And you remember none of it?!"

"I only remember the ones I wrote down..." he said sadly, his brows pursed together. "I didn't get to finish everything because I was so tired."

Mikey sighed in irritation, bringing his clawed hands up to his face. He pressed them against his cheeks and proceeded to pull down, stretching his skin as he moaned with aggravation. "All right." he said, his hands now swinging at his sides. "Let's cover the basics."

The duo spent the first hour of class quizzing and testing one another. Mikey tested Randall's reaction skills, which were startlingly fast and accurate, while Randall tested Mikey's knowledge of scares and the tactics that followed. He took notes whenever one came up that he didn't know, and he made sure to jot down any explanations Mikey gave on the subject. Somehow, this form of work became fun, both monsters laughing and joking throughout their practices. Eventually, the clock outside chimed ten, and students began filing in to class one by one. The duo ceased their actions and took their seats, which were being guarded by their textbooks. Their giggling and joking continued for the first few minutes of class, to which Sullivan was surprised.

"They're laughing?" he began, taking a seat.

"Why do you care, man? We got 'em good last night!"

"I know, but... I thought for sure that would detour that little pipsqueak!" he exclaimed.

"Dude... chill out. He's nothing compared to you."

But, something about Mikey had Sullivan worried. He had no idea why such a small monster would cause him so much stress, and what it was that the little guy had that James didn't, but he was not about to let that little brat beat him. As Professor Knight entered the room, the students fell silent, all eyes focused on him... except for one pair. Sullivan was still focusing on the two friends sitting in the front row. He watched them for quite some time, the tow taking notes when needed, and even raising their hands to questions they knew the answer to. Eventually, Professor Knight asked the students to come down to the floor, where he would test their scaring capabilities. Everyone lines up in a straight row, standing tall and confident. Mikey and Randy too stood tall, which sent anger into the eyes of Sullivan.

"Why?! I thought..."

"Dude, chill out!" whispered one of his friends.

With a low growl, he broke away from his pack and went over to the end of the line, where Randall and Mikey stood. The two of them didn't even notice him, their eyes falling onto Professor Knight. As he went down the line, he asked each student to provide the proper expression for whatever scare tactic he named. So far, everyone was doing well, aside from a few technical imperfections that could be changed with practice. When he reached Randall, he was rather nervous, fearing that he wouldn't know the proper answer. To his relief, he did, and he performed the tactic perfectly, receiving praise from his classmates. When it was Mikey's turn, he was welcomed with laughter and jokes, which he happily ignored. He was confident in his abilities, and justifiably so. To everyone's shock and amazement, he too passed with flying colors, and received apologetic compliments and praise. Sullivan growled, not noticing Professor Knight standing in front of him.

After the teacher cleared his throat a few times, in order to gain his student's attention, he asked his final question. The hair beast glanced at his teacher, before his eyes returned to Mike and Randall, who were watching him expectantly. Mikey seemed to be well aware, watching James knowingly. He doesn't know the answer, Randall thought to himself. In fact, the monster wasn't even listening, Professor Knight's words echoing like a low, droning echo in the back of his mind. Sullivan didn't even allow him to finish his sentence before he let out an angry, bellowing roar, directed at the two friends, and less as an answer to his teacher's question. Though it was impressive, Professor Knight was not pleased.

"We've talked about this, Sullivan. One face does not a scarer make. I cannot award you any grade for this test. I suggest you learn from your classmates and study the curriculum." he said, making his way back down the line.

Everyone chuckled, though not quite as loudly as the two friends, who were trying to quietly celebrate their enemy's failure. "One of many to come." Mikey muttered.

Sullivan growled, his eyes burning with rage as he glared at the two of them. Professor Knight then turned, sending every student into silence, their statures militant and tall... except for Sullivan. The professor looked over the rims of his glasses, staring sternly in Jame's direction. It took a few moments, but the big ball of fur soon caught on, and adjusted himself. With a growl of his own, Professor Knight turned around and spoke, "Now, onto scaring drills!"

This time, he would call out a scare tactic, and every monster would respond at the same time. If they were wrong, they would return to their seat. "Whoever stays here the longest will win a homework pass, which will allow them to get an 'A' on any assignment without having to turn it in."

Everyone 'ooo' and 'aaa' at the sound of that reward. It seemed as if everyone was having trouble with that essay he had assigned a day or to ago. "I'm sure you're all working hard on my assignment... that's due in two days." he mocked, causing everyone to groan. "Irritated or not, it's a big grade, so I suggest you either study hard, or do well today in class."He walked over to the podium and retrieved a yellow slip of paper. The scrap read 'Homework Pass' in a elegant font. "I'll be giving away more of these golden tickets throughout the school year."

Already his students were plotting ways to win that scrap of paper, or ways to make copies for themselves. Professor Knight was prepared for such actions. "I only have a set amount, so if there are any _copies_ made..." he paused, looking for guilty faces. "I'll know."

He then returned the slip back to the podium and stood in front of the wooden structure. "So..." he began. "Let us start."

The game continued throughout the rest of the class, many students doing very well in comparison to others. Many seats were filled, but there was still a handful of monsters standing at the front of class. "Ten minutes left!" one student shouted.

"Thank you!" Mr. Knight replied.

Slowly but surely the numbers began to dwindle, until only Randall, Mikey, and Sullivan remained. James had managed to stay by copying his fellow classmates, something that Professor Knight was catching onto. He began to quiz them one at a time. Randall passes, as did Mikey. However, James failed miserably, and was sent back to his seat. "Only two left." Mr. Knight said. "I'm proud of both of you. Especially you, Wazowski. You've been surprising me." Mikey beamed, standing on his tip toes, as if to make himself taller. Randall chuckled before Professor Knight quizzed him one last time. He listened intently, though his eyes were taking notice of something. Sullivan was mocking Mikey from his seat, to which the little monster responded, no longer focused on the task at hand. "Mikey." Randall whispered, trying to regain his friend's attention. "Mikey, focus."

"Randall?" Professor Knight asked.

"Ah, nothing..."

He knew he wouldn't be able to win if he paid attention to Mikey, but he knew his friend would loose if he didn't gain his attention. He couldn't perform both without risking the other. He growled as his mind thought over what he should do. Eventually, he came to one conclusion. He had no choice.

"What is the proper scare tactic."

Randall sighed, lowering his head. "I don't know, sir."

Professor Knight's brows raised, completely shocked. He glanced over the rims of his glasses. "You're certain?"

"Yes, sir." Randall muttered, glancing at Mikey.

Professor Knight's eyes followed, and his mind deduced what was going on. "Have a seat then."

Though he was bummed about loosing, having wanted nothing other than that homework pass, he knew that Mikey needed something more out of it. He needed to prove everyone wrong. Randall would just have to study harder. He took his seat, being sure to stand straight and tall to block Sullivan from his one eyes friend's view. It seemed to work, the little green beast faltering when he saw that his friend had been eliminated. Then, Professor Knight stood in front of him, completely masking the little guy form view. After a few moments, their teacher turned, Mikey's wrist in his hand. With one swift motion, he raised it high.

"The winner!" he exclaimed.

The class erupted into cheers and applause, many monsters shocked and bewildered that Wazowski had been crowned the champion of today's little game. Sullivan was the only classmate that remained silent and still, his eyes boring into the floor below.

"Now," Professor Knight began. "You can use this, or give it to someone." His eyes motioned towards Randall, who was waving sheepishly from his seat. "You've got a good friend, Wazowski."

The little green cyclops smiled a toothy grin. "I know." he chuckled.

As he ran over to meet with Boggs, Professor Knight announced the end of class right before the clock chimed noon. Students began to gather their things and file out of class, some running down to ask the professor questions about the essay, while others congratulated Mikey before heading to lunch. With shy thank yous and awkward giggles, the duo made their way outside. The further they went from the classroom, the more quiet and barren the walkways became.

"Nice job, Mikey." Randall said. "I would have congratulated you sooner, but I doubt you would have heard me." He laughed his last few words, glancing over his shoulder at the crowd that remained on their staircase of the School of Scaring.

"Heh, thanks, pal." Mikey began, his eye staring at the ticket in his hands. "But... I think you deserve this." He handed it over to Randall, who appeared surprised. Slowly he took the slip of paper, his eyes glancing back and forth between the pass and his friend.

"Wh-"

"I know what you did for me." Mikey interrupted, a soft smile on his face. "I let Sullivan distract me. Thanks. I owe you one."

With a soft smile of his own, Randall turned his gaze to the homework pass. "Plus I know how much this essay has been stressing you out. You need it more than I do." Mikey finished.

"Thanks." Randall mumbled. "Really, thanks..."

Wazowski gently placed a hand against Randall's back, giving him a pat. "Don't get all sappy on me, buddy. Come on! Let's go eat lunch."

"Haha, alright." he chuckled.

With a gentle push, Mikey pressed his pal onward. They made their way towards the school's entry way, deciding to return to the cafe they had visited once before. "I think this should be our usual lunch spot." Mikey exclaimed.

"Yes, I think so too." Randall replied.

They took their seat by the window and enjoyed one anothers company, talking and joking around for hours on end. Neither of them had another class to attend until tomorrow, and with no essay to worry about, they took some time away from stress and anxiety, and just relaxed until the sun set.

"Did you see the look on Sullivan's face?" Wazowski shouted.

"Priceless." Randall said, taking a sip from his drink.


End file.
